General Assembly Session 57 meeting 34

Ms. Ndhlovu (South Africa)

I wish to thank the Secretary-General for the reports he prepared on the agenda items on Africa before us today. As we said during the three-day debate on the United Nations New Agenda for the Development of Africa in the 1990s (UN-NADAF), we found his report on that item (A/57/156 and Corr.1) to be very useful and informative. That report has been very important in shaping the draft resolution that was adopted only this morning in the Ad Hoc Committee of the Whole of the General Assembly, which is bringing the UN-NADAF era to a close and replacing it with the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) as the new policy framework for Africa, around which the international community, including the United Nations, should concentrate its efforts for Africa's development.

The report of the Secretary-General on the implementation of the recommendations contained in the report of the Secretary-General on the causes of conflict and the promotion of durable peace and sustainable development in Africa (A/57/172) contains a very insightful analysis and diagnosis of the challenges facing Africa, with most useful proposals and comments. The updated matrix on the implementation of the Secretary-General's original recommendations gives a clear picture of progress that has been made, as well as continuing constraints while proposing remedial action. This is an excellent planning tool for future action.

Before I comment further on the reports before us, allow me to make some observations about today's debate. This is quite a momentous day, not only because of the importance of the items under discussion, but because Africa is, in a way, leading the way in the United Nations reform process.

We constantly hear calls for improving the effectiveness and efficiency of the United Nations, including the General Assembly. Today there is an example of what can be done. We have recognized the linkages between the three items on African development on the General Assembly agenda and, in the spirit of a comprehensive and holistic approach to issues, these items have been combined into one debate. This allows us to address all these issues and thereby avoid potential duplication in the debates of the General Assembly. This, in my delegation's view, is a good example of improving the work programme of the General Assembly.

My delegation also has other reasons for believing that it is appropriate for these items to be considered together. The Secretary-General's report of 1998 stressed the link between peace and development, while presenting a comprehensive and holistic approach to conflict prevention, poverty eradication and sustainable development in Africa. The New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) that will in future replace the United Nations New Agenda for the Development of Africa (UN-NADAF) item on the General Assembly's agenda, also clearly recognized that linkage, when it acknowledged that peace and security, among other things, are conditions for sustainable development.

As we have said in recent weeks we had numerous occasions to reflect on the Secretary-General's report on the UN-NADAF review and appraisal, therefore allow me to today focus my comments on the report on the "Causes of conflict and the promotion of durable peace and sustainable development in Africa".

My delegation commends the role of the Secretary-General over the last months in assisting with the prevention and resolution of conflicts, not only in Africa but all over the world. We have witnessed the rewards of his determined vision for peace in Sierra Leone with the successful holding of democratic elections in that country, and the progress registered in nurturing peace in the subregion. We also welcome the Secretary-General's unrelenting efforts to bring about peace in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Great Lakes region.

In July 2002, at the inaugural Summit of the African Union, African leaders, inspired by the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD), took the historic decision to alter and enhance the mechanisms for the prevention, management and resolution of conflicts in Africa. An important element of this decision was the acknowledgement that African countries, collectively, should enhance their peacekeeping capacities in order to intervene in conflicts with a view to their resolution. This recognition stems from the reality that there remains a significant gap in some quarters of the international community when the requirement is to act on African conflicts.

There is no doubt about the complexity of the task at hand; in order for any efforts to be successful, a range of partnerships between African countries and the rest of the international community will be required. The focus of these partnerships, however, needs to move beyond the mere training of peacekeepers, to look seriously at what the real needs are in order to ensure effective peacekeeping by African countries. An important aspect in this regard is the provision of logistical support and other key resources that are critical for the success of any peacekeeping operation.

It is my delegation's view that the United Nations is suitably placed to play a leading role in facilitating and establishing these partnerships. My delegation will be working with others in the next few months to explore the possible areas where the United Nations could make a contribution to African efforts in conflict resolution.

In Africa, we are beginning to make great progress in our efforts to achieve peace. However, the mere resolution of conflict and the establishment of peace are not sufficient for creating a stable and prosperous continent. Post-conflict reconstruction and development are important to the delivery of an early peace dividend and essential for launching sustainable development, thereby minimizing the destitution and marginalization which could form the seedbeds in which the next conflict could germinate.

My delegation is thus particularly encouraged by the recent decision by the Economic and Social Council to establish an Ad hoc Advisory Group on African countries emerging from conflict. We also welcome the decision to respond positively to the request by Guinea-Bissau for such an Advisory Group, and my delegation looks forward to contributing as much as possible to the success of the Group. We are also convinced that it could make a real contribution to the sustainable development and rebuilding of that fellow African country and that the people of Guinea-Bissau deserve no less from this Organization.

The issues highlighted in the Secretary-General's report as being important for building durable peace and encouraging sustainable development in Africa coincide fully with the thinking in NEPAD. The promotion of good governance, capacity-building, human resource development, public health services, the role of women, international aid, debt relief, market access, and regional cooperation and integration, mentioned in the report, are very much in line with the priorities contained in this initiative. We fully subscribe to the idea that all these issues, while by no means suggested as exhaustive, are important when trying to address the way to ensure durable peace and sustainable development on the continent.

My delegation also fully supports the proposals in the report on the full funding of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, on the untying of aid to all African countries in order to improve aid effectiveness and on the need to fully address the external debt situation of all heavily indebted African countries.

While Africa has taken control of its own development agenda in NEPAD, it has also recognized the critical role of international support in true partnership. This includes the need to provide increased resources to the continent. We thus support the proposal made in the report that the Secretary-General urge the donor community to double official flows to Africa, in line with the recommendations made at the March 2002 meeting of the High Level Committee on Programmes of the United Nations System Chief Executives Board for Coordination.

We are all excited by the fact that Africa has taken charge of its own future through NEPAD. This is also an invitation to the international community to forge new partnerships through which we can together strive towards achieving the Millennium and other development goals. Let us not be found wanting.

In this respect, my delegation is particularly pleased that the Ad Hoc Committee of the Whole of the General Assembly for the Final Review and Appraisal of the implementation of the United Nations New Agenda for the Development of Africa in the 1990s this morning adopted the resolution on UN-NADAF and NEPAD. We believe that it provides a very good framework for developing international support for NEPAD. We also appreciate the balanced manner in which it approached the issue by addressing the roles of all stakeholders. It also recognized the primacy of African countries in the development and implementation of NEPAD.

It is important, in our deliberations on NEPAD, to remember that these deliberations are not abstract, but are focused on how we deliver NEPAD, because lying behind the question of how to take NEPAD forward are questions such as how to take our macroeconomic gains down to the farmers in our rural villages and to the shopkeepers and hawkers in our cities, and how to ensure that mothers can raise healthy children who can take advantage of well-run schools.

Over the past two years, we have seen a number of international summits and conferences, such as the Millennium Summit, the Third United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries, the International Conference on Financing for Development and the World Summit on Sustainable Development, all of which embraced the notion of partnership. This has been elaborated to address the serious challenges in the international financial architecture, poverty reduction and development facing the global community and Africa in particular.

African finance ministers and their deputies are meeting at this moment in Johannesburg to consider and construct their end of the partnership, not because anybody says they must, but to show leadership in identifying and resolving the serious challenges confronting us.

Mr. Valdivieso (Colombia)

The delegation of Colombia is pleased to participate in this debate of the General Assembly dedicated, in essence, to the special needs of the economic development of Africa, the achievement of lasting peace in the continent and the ways in which the United Nations should respond to these objectives.

In particular, we are tasked with the final review and appraisal of the implementation of the United Nations New Agenda for the Development of Africa in the 1990s (UN-NADAF), which, for 10 years, was the framework of the efforts of our Organization in favour of African development.

It is an endeavour made possible today thanks to the informative documents prepared by the Secretariat and, especially, to the independent assessment of the implementation of UN-NADAF conducted by the group of eminent personalities led by Mr. Kwesi Botchwey. Let me thank him and his collaborators for the high quality of the document submitted and their valuable conclusions and recommendations.

My delegation also wishes to take this opportunity to pay tribute to the United Nations agencies, funds and programmes that throughout these 10 years have carried out the African programmes. Thanks to them, the States Members of the United Nations have been in a position to share in the solidarity and efforts for economic and social development of the African peoples and their longing for peace. We count on this decade-long experience to renew the work of the Organization for the years to come.

The delegation of Colombia shares the view widely expressed in this debate and by the heads of State and ministers of foreign affairs who spoke during the high-level meeting on the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) on 16 September, to the effect that the goals of NEPAD must be our anchor in designing the future relationship of the United Nations with the countries of Africa.

It is a relationship to be based on deepening the goals of NEPAD in three different spheres: first, the African countries themselves, as they incorporate the NEPAD vision into their own strategic planning; secondly, the United Nations, as the reality of NEPAD runs through the several strata of the Organization; and thirdly, the partner countries of African development, in particular the more advanced economies in the world.

We remain fully convinced that the goals of the NEPAD vision -- peace, security, democracy and good governance, as well as the social and economic development and regional cooperation and integration of Africa -- can be consolidated by and benefit from the help of the strengths of the United Nations. Our Organization is in a position to offer information and analysis, as well as technical assistance; to act as a forum to advocate and articulate the interests of African peoples; and also, by bringing the international community together, to undertake actions in favour of peace and international development.

We need, of course, to adjust these strengths to the particular needs of Africa. In that respect, the independent appraisers of UN-NADAF recommend to us two basic measures: first, providing the United Nations with sufficient means to carry out this mission; and secondly, bringing harmony into its universe of programmes.

They also put before us a set of practical measures already reflected in the draft resolution whose negotiation is being ably conducted by the delegation of Brazil. For instance, there is a need to concentrate in one office of the Secretariat the preparation of all the reports on the development of Africa and to manage the implementation of the new African programme at the appropriate executive level. In addition, our delegation believes that the annual deliberation on African issues by the General Assembly could be combined into one single debate.

We are mindful that the long-term purpose of the African peoples is, as stated in the NEPAD action plan,

"to extricate themselves and the continent from the malaise of underdevelopment and exclusion in a globalizing world".

That is a goal that a developing country such as Colombia can fully appreciate and share. We have therefore found it worthwhile to work with other countries of Latin America on plans for regional and subregional economic integration.

In addition, our efforts to integrate ourselves into today's globalized economy have given rise to as-yet unmet expectations that could nevertheless serve as points of reference for African countries. A report by the United Nations Development Programme looking into Latin America's experience with globalization, singled out, among other things, the region's difficulty in protecting its peoples from the negative effects of globalization, a concentration of knowledge and wealth at the level of the elite, rising environmental degradation and the phenomenon of economic growth in the absence of growth in employment. These findings should signal to African countries that they should not expect too much from globalization.

Finally, given that we have participated in the Security Council for almost two years, the delegation of Colombia is particularly keen to comment on the issue of how peace and security are linked to Africa's development. The Secretary-General's 1998 report on the causes of conflict and the promotion of development had already clearly illustrated that negative correlation. In fact, one of the major conclusions of the assessment team that evaluated the United Nations New Agenda for the Development of Africa in the 1990s put it very succinctly: conflict and development are mortal enemies. That fact is confirmed annually by the Human Development Report, which also points out that countries at the bottom of the human development index are either going through conflicts or emerging from them.

In the Security Council we have supported the efforts made by the United Nations to strengthen African countries' successful initiatives. We very much welcome the current peace negotiations taking place in Kenya with regard to the Sudan and Somalia. We also welcome the return of peace to Sierra Leone and Angola this year, and look with optimism to the progress being made in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Looking to the future, we would like to single out three healthy trends within the Organization regarding peacekeeping and security in Africa. The first of those trends is the deepening relationship between the United Nations and the African Union and various regional and subregional organizations in the areas of conflict prevention, peacekeeping operations and post-conflict peace-building. In that vein, for example, the Council this week has expressed its support for the observation force that the Economic Community of Central African States will deploy on the border between Chad and the Central African Republic.

The second trend is the growing tendency of the Organization to focus on the regional character of conflicts and, in so doing, to name special representatives for the relevant regions. At the moment, such representatives have been named for the Great Lakes region and for West Africa, the latter of which was the subject of a debate during Colombia's presidency of the Council in August 2001.

The third trend is reflected in the excellent work being carried out by the Security Council Open-ended Ad Hoc Working Group on the Causes of Conflict and Promotion of Durable Peace and Sustainable Development in Africa, which is being led in an exemplary manner by the Ambassador of Mauritius. One of the Group's accomplishments has been to bring together the Economic and Social Council and the Security Council to focus on their respective management functions relating to strengthening peace in countries emerging from conflict.

The experiences I have mentioned serve to encourage my delegation's belief that cooperation between the United Nations as a whole and African countries can indeed be fruitful. Such cooperation should also occur in every area of concern to the continent. That is the conviction that brings us to this debate -- a belief on whose behalf he delegation of Colombia is prepared to make its best effort.

Mr. George (Nigeria)

The popular image of Africa in the outside world, in both electronic and print media, is one of incessant conflict and political instability. Yet it need not be so, because in reality Africa is a richly endowed continent, beautiful and hospitable. Conflicts within and between African countries are neither innate nor necessarily inevitable. Given the right attitude and approach, they could be prevented or minimized, if not totally eradicated. In that regard, Nigeria welcomes the continuing efforts of the United Nations, and especially the personal commitment of the Secretary-General, to solving conflicts and laying the foundation for durable peace and sustainable development in Africa.

Taking into account the Secretary-General's comprehensive report (A/52/871) on the causes of conflict and the promotion of durable peace and sustainable development in Africa, the world community can no longer feign ignorance of the causes and effects of conflict in Africa. The landmark report, for which we thank the Secretary-General, not only identified the root causes of the conflicts on the continent, it also spelled out the roles that African leaders and the international community, including the United Nations system, can play in solving them. Furthermore, the report underscores the need for collective effort in the search for durable peace, stability, post-conflict reconstruction, reconciliation and rehabilitation.

Indeed, different studies and sources attest to the fact that Africa's conflicts reflect the continent's diversity, historical evolution and experience, as well as its engagement with the outside world. They are located in the history of Africa, its colonial past and the challenges of building virile and sustainable modern State structures. Those challenges have been compounded by the dynamics of internal politics, often interpreted and seen as the spoils of office. Access to political power brings with it benefits, privileges and a sense of security; while the lack of access creates insecurity, rivalry and outright hostility.

Economic motivations, often dictated by profit and greed, are also known to be responsible for conflict in Africa. It is pertinent to note that the traffic in arms, blood diamonds, oil and other commodities would be less intense were there no gains for the traffickers. However, many conflicts have become intractable due to the gains derived while they lasted. We also cannot take for granted the contribution of peculiarity and circumstance in fuelling conflict in Africa. The struggle for land, control of natural resources, access to amenities, ethnicity, religious beliefs and other incipient factors are known to have caused countless conflicts in Africa.

As could be expected, the cost of those conflicts to Africa is incalculable in both human and material terms. It was against the background of that heavy toll that the Secretary-General drew the conclusion that the consequences of those conflicts have seriously undermined Africa's efforts to ensure long-term stability, prosperity and peace for its peoples. More importantly, he admitted that preventing war -- and, by implication, conflict -- in Africa was no longer a matter of defending States but one of defending humanity itself.

The need for peace and stability in Africa is therefore as urgent today as it was in 1998, when the Secretary-General released his report on the sources of conflict on the continent. Now as then, Africa is mired in different conflicts of varied nature and intensity. We note the positive reaction of the international community to the Secretary-General's report and the practical measures that have been taken to date in the quest for durable peace and sustainable development in Africa. The latest report (A/57/172) indicates that progress has been made in responding to conflict situations through peacemaking, peacekeeping, preventive diplomacy and post-conflict peace-building. We call on the United Nations to sustain the momentum in promoting peace and development in Africa as a matter of the utmost priority.

As we engage in this joint debate on the twin agenda issues of the causes of conflict and the promotion of durable peace and sustainable development in Africa and the final review and appraisal of UN-NADAF, we cannot but agree with the Secretary-General that good governance is a prerequisite for durable peace and sustainable development. As is aptly put in the report of the expert panel on the evaluation and review of UN-NADAF, conflict and development are mortal enemies.

For us in Nigeria, this statement resonates because it captures our experience as a country grappling with the challenges of nation-building, socio-economic development and the preservation and promotion of peace in Africa. The military in Nigeria handed over power to a democratically elected Government only three and a half years ago, after 15 years in power. The restoration of civil rule has necessitated a fresh start in the process of democratization.

Consequently, the challenges of meeting heightened expectations after many years of deprivation, ensuring participation and inclusiveness in the process of governance, and striking a balance between national unity and stability have combined to test our skills and capacities. Notwithstanding the competing demands for our lean resources, we have continued to be active participants in peacekeeping operations within and outside Africa. In West Africa alone, Nigeria spent over $10 billion on peacekeeping operations in Liberia and Sierra Leone.

Internally, our efforts at development have yielded mixed results due to many factors. Instilling a culture of democracy, accountability, transparency and good governance has not been an easy task. Nonetheless, we affirm that democracy, the rule of law, human rights and respect for fundamental freedoms are essential for human intellect and human potential, which abound in our country, to flourish.

In an environment riddled with developmental problems such as poverty, disease, ignorance and unemployment, the Government has had to make deliberate choices in its programmes. Other inhibiting factors include our excruciating external debt burden, dwindling commodity prices, lack of market access and low productive capacity. Yet we realize that development is not an option; it is a necessity. Thus, our Government has concentrated on poverty alleviation, education, health, agriculture and the provision of safe drinking water as its main priorities.

UN-NADAF was intended to help Africa overcome the challenges of development. Indeed, the programme was derived from two previous international cooperation arrangements, namely Africa's Priority Programme for Economic Recovery and the United Nations Programme of Action for African Economic Recovery and Development. The international community adopted the Programme to address the multifarious social and economic problems that confronted the continent in the mid-1980s, especially the problems of pervasive poverty, infant mortality, disease and low economic growth.

We should also keep at the back of our minds the fact that the decade of UN-NADAF was also Africa's most trying decade in recent memory. It was the decade in which the continent, saddled with commitments and obligations arising from UN-NADAF, was embroiled in numerous conflicts of catastrophic consequences. Regrettably, UN-NADAF did not deliver the much-needed benefits it was designed to yield. Instead, its performance has been judged to be very disappointing. In the absence of the necessary political will and of the fulfilment of commitments by African leaders and their development partners, the pursuit of Africa's development has remained elusive.

This final review and appraisal should therefore offer us an opportunity to reflect on the lessons learned from the implementation of UN-NADAF. We can also draw from those lessons in charting a new course of action as we decide on the future engagement of the United Nations with Africa.

On 16 September, in this very Hall, a memorable debate took place on the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD). The debate was later followed by that of the Ad Hoc Committee of the Whole of the Assembly on 25 and 26 September. On both occasions, a central message emerged: that NEPAD was the appropriate framework through which the international community, including the United Nations, should channel its support for Africa. The principles and objectives of NEPAD have been well articulated within the United Nations in recent times and therefore need no reiteration here. Suffice it to say that the United Nations system must lend its support to the Programme for it to succeed.

Support for NEPAD must demonstrably be unconditional, qualitative and quantitative; it must be, at all levels, greater than that given to UN-NADAF. In this connection, official development assistance flows, which declined in real terms in the 1990s, should be regular and predictable. Market access should be provided in developed countries for African products. Transfer of technology on preferential and mutually agreed terms should be extended to African countries. African Governments and the African people -- male and female -- should bear primary responsibility for the implementation of NEPAD, as this is the only way to ensure and guarantee African ownership and leadership of the programme. But it will be necessary to allow each African country to evolve its own development strategy, based on objective socio-economic realities and on the need to protect the most vulnerable members of society.

To further support NEPAD, there will also be a need to inject new ideas into the consideration of the issue of Africa's external debt. The dismal results of the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Debt Initiative, as shown during the review of UN-NADAF, point to the inadequacy and limitations of the programme. Out of 33 African countries eligible for HIPC, only 18 reached "decision point", and, of that number, only six made it through to "completion point" to qualify for debt cancellation as of April 2002. The implication is that rescue programmes based on conditionalities are ineffective. Therefore, debt cancellation for all heavily indebted countries should form the basis of the support provided to African countries.

More than anything, there is an urgent need for human development and capacity-building on the continent. The problem of the HIV/AIDS pandemic and of other debilitating diseases must be tackled head-on for Africa to cast off its yoke of underdevelopment. Happily, these concerns, among others, form the bedrock of NEPAD's objectives. NEPAD is an acknowledgement of the need for Africa to take its destiny in its own hands and to assume responsibility for the eradication of poverty. Collectively and individually, African countries have pledged to resolve and prevent conflicts and to promote a culture of peace, economic growth and sustainable development.

What is now required is for the international community to join hands with Africa to help in realizing the lofty objectives of NEPAD in a spirit of true partnership. The pledges of support already announced by groups and individual countries are commendable. In this respect, we sincerely hope that the ghost of UN-NADAF, commitments to which were not fulfilled, will be laid to rest. We further urge that the pledges announced be fulfilled without delay or encumbrances.

Nigeria welcomes the establishment of the Security Council Ad Hoc Working Group on Conflict Prevention and Resolution in Africa, as well as the General Assembly Ad Hoc Advisory Group on African Countries Emerging from Conflict. For these efforts to be meaningful and their effects lasting, they must be complemented with a total ban on the trade and proliferation of small arms and light weapons. Africa desperately needs peace, and the international community can help in fostering peace in the continent.

We note the decision of the Secretary General to streamline and harmonize Africa-related reporting by the United Nations system. However, we expect the Secretary-General to submit a detailed proposal on how the United Nations would mobilize systemwide support as well as provide resources for the implementation of NEPAD. There should be coordination at both the regional and country levels to ensure coherence and consistency. We in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) have already taken the lead in organizing this coordination, and other regions in Africa are doing the same. We welcome the adoption by the General Assembly of the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) as its framework policy programme for the development of Africa and as the successor to the United Nations New Agenda for the Development of Africa in the 1990s. NEPAD adequately addresses the present issues of concern to Africa and, if supported and effectively implemented, will finally lift the continent out of the throes of underdevelopment. Africa will thus truly claim its place in the twenty-first century.

Mr. Amer (Libya)

The representative of Egypt this morning made a statement on behalf of the African Group. My delegation supports his statement. Allow me now to make a statement on the two items before us.

This is the third time this session that the General Assembly has held joint debates on more than one agenda item. We thank the Secretary-General for his clear and comprehensive report (A/57/172) to the General Assembly on the implementation of the recommendations made five years ago in his report on "Causes of conflict and promotion of durable peace and sustainable development in Africa". We also wish to thank him for the report (A/57/156) on the detailed evaluation of the United Nations New Agenda for the Development of Africa in the 1990s (UN-NADAF) and on the obstacles that hindered its implementation.

When we discussed the situation in Africa in the past, it was said that all indicators projected that by 2002, at the time of the final appraisal of UN-NADAF, we would face challenges that would surpass what we faced during its implementation. Indeed, disappointment led some to say that political and economical conditions would have deteriorated beyond all expectations.

Today, however, as we review those conditions, it is quite clear that the situation is different. The Secretary-General has himself said that average economic growth in Africa reached 3.1 per cent during 2001, and that some African countries have attained a growth rate of more than 5 per cent. In the concluding observations of one of his reports, he said that

"progress has been made towards restoring peace and stability in the region. The peace process in Ethiopia and Eritrea is being consolidated and the Great Lakes region is showing signs of stability ... Angola ... is moving towards peace ... Sierra Leone, had its successful elections ... restoring democracy in that country" (A/57/172, para. 43)

We are happy with these positive developments and with the peace efforts that have come from African initiatives: from Sirte, Lusaka, Algiers, Pretoria and other cities. This testifies to a fact that has been widely repeated: only Africans can make a difference in Africa.

It is only fair to say that the United Nations has made significant contributions solving the problems that are affecting Africa. The Secretary-General has named envoys to facilitate the settlement and management of disputes and to foster dialogue between parties in conflict. The United Nations also continues its peace efforts in the Republic of Central Africa and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. We are happy that the Secretary-General has appointed a Special Representative for West Africa in support of efforts aimed at the establishment of peace and stability.

African problems have received considerable attention in the General Assembly, in the Security Council and in the Economic and Social Council. We also recall the efforts of other organizations, such as the International Labour Organization, the United Nations Development Programme, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, addressing the needs and the repatriation of women and children. We should also mention the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations, which has helped in the reintegration of combatants in African countries that were afflicted by conflict.

These success stories are very encouraging. However, progress in other fields has been quite limited and as the Secretary-General said in paragraph 44 of document A/57/172, the growth rate that Africa has achieved falls short of the 7 per cent necessary to achieve the Millennium Development Goal of halving poverty by 2015. The AIDS epidemic is one of the main obstacles to development and causes the death of one million people annually, mostly children. During the 1990s, the economic environment was not conducive to sustainable development. External debt and debt servicing devoured most of Africa's already scarce resources. Official development assistance continued to fall while trade barriers and high tariffs made it difficult for African products to reach international markets, especially those of the developed countries.

Africa has proved that it is strongly committed to achieving peace and sustainable development. This is attested to by the establishment of the African Union which aims to unify the continent, put an end to hotbeds of tension, combat hunger, poverty and AIDS, and remove the effects of colonialism, which drained the resources and wealth of those countries. The African Union also aims to formulate strategies that will carry the people of Africa from underdevelopment and weakness to stability and strength.

We highly appreciate the efforts of the United Nations, the Secretary-General and United Nations agencies in supporting Africa in the fields of health, education, information technology. We call on the other partners to play the role required of them: those who committed themselves to Africa's development and pledged to contribute needed medicines and vaccines at affordable prices to combat AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. Africa needs barriers to its exports removed, as well as assistance in overcoming the problem of external debt and a commitment to meet the agreed target for official development assistance. There is also a need for more investment and an increased share in international trade, as well as for active participation in decision-making in international financial and economic forums.

One month ago, the Assembly adopted the significant United Nations Declaration (resolution 57/2) on the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD). That was another commitment by the international community to respond to the needs of the continent, in keeping with the Millennium Declaration. We are satisfied with that. However, the partnership should be real and effective, and it must respect the will, history, culture and values of the Africans and avoid imposing conditionalities or political terms that run counter to the particular characteristics of Africa.

Our partners should realize that their contributions also benefit their own societies. A halt to our decrease in migration through legislative or administrative measures would encourage Africans to remain on their continent, and thus to work for their own betterment. We believe that this can be achieved through the following measures: Giving priority to basic infrastructures, such as transportation and communication; focusing on water projects so that Africans can improve their agricultural production; halting restrictions on the transfer of technology and encouraging its indigenization; taking into account the suffering of Africans in the past centuries and the depletion and pillage of their resources; and addressing the very serious problem of the brain drain that is affecting the human resources of the continent to the benefit of the developed countries.

The Secretary-General has said that Africa is at a turning point. He is right, and that is why we have established the African Union. We have started on the path to development. We are trying to rid ourselves of all conflicts. This is an opportunity for the United Nations and the international community to help Africa reinforce peace and development in all its regions. Not achieving that would be a moral and political failure for the Organization, as well as for the entire international community. It is a challenge that we must all face together.

Ms. Wijono (Indonesia)

On behalf of the Indonesian delegation, I would like to extend our heartfelt appreciation to the President for his able stewardship and guidance during the course of this session. I would also like to commend the Secretary-General for the reports that frame our deliberation.

Indonesia subscribes to the view that the causes of conflict and the promotion of durable peace and sustainable development in Africa are closely linked to the prevalence of poverty on that continent. While the report of the Secretary-General (A/57/172) provides updates on progress in peacemaking, peace-building and reconstruction in Africa, Indonesia is convinced that only efforts to enhance the development of Africa can bring poverty under control, thereby eliminating the key cause of conflict.

Indonesia welcomes the progress achieved in addressing the causes of conflict and in promoting durable peace and sustainable development in Africa, as described in the Secretary-General's report. In particular, Indonesia encourages the efforts by some African countries to reduce their military expenditure and supports the target of reducing expenditures on arms to less than 1.5 per cent of Gross Domestic Product, while attaining zero growth in military expenditures. In our view, war consumes and destroys resources already in place, and thus we believe that achieving such a target would facilitate the allocation of a larger share of national budgets to sustainable development programmes.

Indonesia attaches great importance to emergency assistance from the international community for post-conflict reconstruction and development in Africa. The establishment of the United Nations Consolidated Appeals Process as a strategic planning tool for the promotion of transition from relief to development is a welcome initiative. While recognizing the important role that African countries themselves must play, we encourage the continued contribution of the international community, through the United Nations and its agencies, to the promotion of peace and development in Africa.

Indonesia emphasizes the important role that peace-friendly structural adjustment programmes can play. Indonesia supports the suggestion made by the Secretary-General that in providing those programmes, the Bretton Woods institutions should consider more flexible and effective measures which include the relaxing of some of the stringent conditionalities concerning economic performance, scaling up post-conflict funding, special assistance for reconstruction and poverty reduction interventions.

Indonesia also lauds the voluntary establishment by African leaders of the African Peer Review Mechanism to monitor progress in compliance with the high standards of good governance that have been set. That stands as testimony to the sincerity and commitment of African leaders in achieving peace for their people.

In addition to peace and security, there are other challenges to sustainable development in Africa. Those are financial constraints, market access problems, lack of information and communication technologies, issues of developing human capital and economic diversification, as well as infrastructure development.

In recognition of the link between peace and sustainable development, the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD), which we joined in welcoming here during the high-level plenary meeting of the General Assembly last month, has strong potential to contribute to the realization of durable peace and sustainable development in Africa.

Emphasizing peace, security, democracy, good governance, respect for human rights and sound economic management as preconditions for sustainable development, NEPAD now embodies Africa's commitment to its own peaceful development and represents the policy framework within which the international community, including the United Nations system, should focus its efforts to assist Africa's development. It is my sincerest desire that this new initiative should meet with success, since failure would mean failure for us all in achieving the Millennium Development Goals to which we are all pledged.

In the context of achieving the objectives of NEPAD, we should recall the experience of implementing the United Nations New Agenda for the Development of Africa in the 1990s (UN-NADAF), which was launched in 1991. As the Secretary-General's report points out, UN-NADAF was at best a limited success. Its lack of progress was attributable to all the actors involved, both African countries and the international community.

A critical impediment to success was the cookie-cutter approach to achieving development over a vastly diverse group of countries. The mantra of "liberalize and privatize" without regard to the unique circumstances that prevail in any given country proved to be a canard. Therefore, national ownership of the development process is essential for fundamental change to occur. Local institutions are best suited to satisfy local needs while maintaining local values. NEPAD clearly emphasizes national ownership of the development process; Indonesia welcomes that the international community is coming to accept that principal as critical to the success of the development process.

Another impediment was the failure of the parties to live up to their commitments. African countries never completely implemented the UN-NADAF programme, while official development assistance to Africa actually declined after the programme's launch.

Little progress was made on market access for African exports or debt relief for the poorest nations. Moreover, the programme was marred by a general lack of quantifiable objectives and targets for monitoring progress and compliance, this being one of the reasons for the limited success. Indonesia recognizes the importance of monitoring implementation of NEPAD, not only at the national level but also at the international level.

One area that UN-NADAF did not address was modern information and communications technologies, mainly the Internet. Since this new technology was largely unknown in 1991, this was not a failure of the UN-NADAF initiative, perhaps. But as of now, Africa is the least connected region in the world, with the lowest computer use, which results in many opportunities being squandered. We are particularly happy to learn that NEPAD has targeted information and communications technology as a priority area for development, and therefore efforts to assist Africa to bridge the digital divide for development should be encouraged.

Human, physical and financial capital is in short supply in Africa, but in fact there is a considerable supply of domestic entrepreneurial talent. Sixty to 70 per cent of employment in Africa is generated by micro-, small- and medium-size enterprises. However, a shortage of finance and a lack of connectivity prevent those smaller African firms from expanding regionally and globally as have many similar firms in other regions. Internet access could help promote African industry and exports and, conversely, help open Africa as a market for exports from other regions.

In evaluating UN-NADAF's failures in order to ensure NEPAD's success, it should be remembered that UN-NADAF failed for a variety of reasons. Peace and security are the highest goals of the United Nations and they should be so for NEPAD, as the elusive goal of development becomes ever more slippery without peace. Adequate financing is necessary to bring about development, but it is not sufficient without supporting polices from both African countries and the international community. The aftermath of the Monterrey Conference and the Johannesburg Summit has left the international community with a surplus of goodwill. Let us not repeat the failures of the past, but rather capitalize on the goodwill of the present by turning it into action for the future.

Mr. Mizukami (Japan)

The United Nations New Agenda for the Development of Africa in the 1990s (UN-NADAF) will come to a formal conclusion during the current session of the General Assembly. From now on, support for the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) will be the main item on the agenda. In that context, I should like to state once again that Japan welcomes NEPAD as an expression of Africa's ownership.

We also welcome the joint debate being held today under agenda item 33, on causes of conflict and the promotion of durable peace and sustainable development in Africa, and under agenda item 41 (a), on final review and appraisal of the implementation of the United Nations New Agenda for the Development of Africa in the 1990s (UN-NADAF). Such an exercise can help to streamline agendas and possibly contribute to reform of the General Assembly.

Ownership and partnership -- the very heart of NEPAD -- are principles that my Government has stressed through the process of the Tokyo International Conference on African Development. Japan firmly believes that ownership by African countries plays a critical role in their development. Accordingly, Japan will continue to provide support to NEPAD, and we will host the Third Tokyo International Conference on African Development next October.

We also welcome the recognition by African countries that conflict prevention, management and resolution; peace enforcement and peacekeeping; post-conflict reconciliation, rehabilitation and reconstruction; and disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR) are preconditions for development. In that connection, I should like to take this opportunity to discuss the issue of conflict resolution and peace-building.

Despite tremendous efforts on the part of African countries themselves, with cooperation from the international community, they continue to be confronted with problems that threaten peace and stability in their own countries as well as in the region. That is especially true in countries that are emerging from conflict, since, in many cases, the underlying causes of conflict -- such as poverty -- remain after the conflict itself has been settled. Countries in that situation all too often fall into a vicious cycle of recurring conflict and fail to achieve significant development progress.

In addressing conflict resolution and peace-building in Africa, Japan has repeatedly stressed the importance of taking a comprehensive approach that integrates political, economic, social and humanitarian measures to achieve lasting peace and sustainable development. Needless to say, ensuring cooperation and coordination among various actors is essential to the success of such a comprehensive approach. Such an approach should be followed at all stages, from conflict prevention to post-conflict peace-building. Thanks to the efforts of African countries -- as well as to those of African regional and subregional organizations, of the United Nations and of other international partners -- progress has been achieved in the peace processes in Angola, in Ethiopia and Eritrea and in Sierra Leone. However, durable peace and sustainable development in a post-conflict situation can be achieved only through measures undertaken in the context of a comprehensive approach.

Being of that view, Japan has responded to conflicts in Africa by extending assistance to encourage the peace process, to promote DDR and to achieve a seamless transition from conflict resolution to post-conflict reconstruction and socio-economic development. We remain committed to such efforts.

In conclusion, I should like to stress our wholehearted commitment to Africa as a partner. Japan will engage actively and continuously in the NEPAD process, and we will support the efforts of African nations.

Mr. Jalang'o (Kenya)

At the outset, my delegation associates itself with the statement made this morning by the delegation of Egypt on behalf of the African Group.

In addition, on behalf of the Government of Kenya, I should like to express our condolences to the Government and the people of Indonesia following the horrific terrorist attack on the island of Bali last week. We also express our condolences to the Government and the people of Australia, who were equally affected by the attack.

Let me take this early opportunity to express my delegation's commendations of the able manner in which the President of the General Assembly has continued to steer the deliberations concerning this agenda item, on final review and appraisal of the implementation of the United Nations New Agenda for the Development of Africa in the 1990s (UN-NADAF). My delegation would also like to express its appreciation to the Secretary-General for his commitment with regard to the final review of UN-NADAF.

UN-NADAF was an outstanding effort that conscientiously reflected on the issues related to sustainable development of the African continent. It fully recognized the essential elements that would propel Africa to desirable levels of economic development. It is, however, disappointing that, for much of the decade, the development targets were not achieved. Much of that failure has been attributed to the decline in external support, as official development assistance to Africa declined from $28.62 billion in 1990 to $16.38 billion in 2000. In addition, the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Debt Initiative has not yielded the desired results. Kenya, therefore, calls for a review of the eligibility criteria to enable more countries to benefit from the Initiative. At the same time, trade opportunities have not delivered the expected benefits as a result of the deteriorating terms of trade and the resultant decline in export earnings.

Despite that bleak scenario, my delegation is confident that much hope still exists for the continent in realizing sustainable development. African Governments have adopted various measures, at both the national and the regional levels, to promote economic development. The economic and political reforms undertaken in the 1990s, for example, have helped to improve the macro-economic situation in most countries, while significant strides have been made in the process of democratization.

The continent has demonstrated its commitments to economic cooperation and integration through regional bodies such as the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa, the East African Community, the Southern African Development Community and the Economic Community of West African States, which are building blocks of the economic integration of the African continent. The recent launching of the African Union in Durban, South Africa, was clear testimony to that effort. We would like to call upon the international to support us in that endeavour.

My delegation shares the philosophy of the eminent panellists on the evaluation of UN-NADAF that the first and foremost lesson from that decade-long experience has been that conflict and development are mortal enemies. At its fifty-fifth session, the General Assembly, in resolution 55/217, reaffirmed the close linkage between peace, security and sustainable development, and emphasized the need for a comprehensive implementation of the recommendations contained in the Secretary-General's report of April 1998 on the causes of conflict and the promotion of durable peace and sustainable development in Africa (A/52/871).

Kenya welcomes the efforts of the United Nations aimed at fostering global peace, security and stability through cooperation with regional and subregional grouping arrangements. We welcome the growing optimism concerning the progress made in the negotiations to settle long-standing conflicts in the Horn of Africa and the Great Lakes region. Kenya will continue to spearhead efforts to resolve the conflicts in our subregion, and I would like to take this opportunity to inform the Assembly that the peace conference on Somalia began on Tuesday, 15 October, in Eldoret, Kenya, and brought together all the political factions, members of civil society and other stakeholders. We are hopeful that the warring parties in Somalia will finally agree to form a Government of national unity.

At the same time, Kenya welcomes the signing of a truce for the cessation of fighting between the Government of the Sudan and the Southern Sudan People's Liberation Movement, and the resumption of peace talks in the Kenyan town of Machakos. Our determination in supporting those peace efforts is predicated on the clear understanding that the resolution of those conflicts holds the key to Africa's sustainable development and prosperity.

The launching of the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) by African heads of State or Government in July 2001 was a significant event, as it set out a broad vision of the continent and a strategy for achieving sustainable development. We welcome the support and seek the endorsement of that initiative by the international community, including the United Nations system. NEPAD provides a comprehensive framework for support to Africa, and we welcome the recommendation that the New Partnership be adopted by the United Nations system and the international community as the framework for its future support to Africa. Kenya believes that the success of NEPAD will ultimately depend on the efforts of Africans with the support of our development partners, bearing in mind the principles of ownership and partnership.

Finally, the primary responsibility for the development of Africa remains with African countries themselves, and the international community has a role to play in that respect. The United Nations system, as well as other development partners, including international financial institutions, must ensure that development assistance activities in Africa are carried out in a more coordinated manner in order to make a tangible impact on the recipient countries.

Mr. Pradhan (Bhutan)

We believe that Africa must move forward and look ahead towards the future. In that context, the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) is a manifestation of the strong determination of African countries to better the lot of their peoples. That worthy desire has stemmed from the innate wisdom of Africa's leaders. It is an expression of its people's wish to cast aside civil and regional conflicts and bloody power struggles that bring only misery and destruction; and above all, it demonstrates the ultimate supremacy of the people in shaping their destinies.

We warmly congratulate the people of Africa and their leaders on the bold decisions being taken. In their pursuit of the objectives of NEPAD, African countries need and must receive the full and unstinting cooperation of the international community. That is more so because the moral commitment of the developed countries, the Bretton Woods institutions and the rest of international community is in fact already there and has been explicitly given.

As has been reiterated by many speakers in this Assembly, the beginning of the new millennium was crowned by the far-sighted and overarching decisions of our leaders at the Millennium Summit. Thereafter, implementation of international decisions acquired prominence and was highlighted by the Secretary-General. That was done at the Monterrey, Doha and Johannesburg Conferences, among other forums. The NEPAD initiative is a focused framework in pursuit of the Millennium Development Goals for one of the most marginalized areas of the world. It is pertinent to note that out of the 49 least developed countries, 34 are in Africa.

Our experience in international cooperation, especially when it comes to socio-economic development, has raised the question of who decides what is to be done in a country or a region. Again, who are the owners of the process? While discussions and dialogue are essential between donors and recipients, and while expatriate advisers and consultants have their important roles to play, the ownership of development projects and programmes should lie with the Governments and the people that they are expected to benefit. That approach is important if development programmes are to have a lasting impact in recipient countries. That is an integral principle of NEPAD, and we must respect it.

When it comes to the least developed countries, my delegation has consistently pointed out that official development assistance has to continue to play an important role. That is especially so with regard to building transportation and communications infrastructure, as well as basic health and educational services. Loans become a viable option only when they are an input into income-generating programmes and projects that enable repayment, or when the country concerned is in a position to pay them back from other sources of income. If that consideration is ignored, then the result will be indebtedness.

Foreign direct investment is an important element in financing development for the advancement of private enterprise, the acquisition of technology and the expansion of trade, as well as for increasing employment and income levels.

But the definitive problem for developing countries, and especially for the least developed countries, is how to attract foreign direct investment. As is well known, private investment moves to countries where profitability can be maximized. Unfortunately, circumstances in the least developed countries do not always attract private investment, despite their best efforts. Infrastructure and communications facilities, an educated and technically trained manpower and peace and stability are important requirements.

To develop and establish those conditions, least developed countries need official development assistance to supplement domestic resources. For the financing of development, we must move with greater haste and purpose to fulfil the commitments made at Monterrey. The spirit of Monterrey needs to be fired to meet the goals of the Millennium Summit. Financing has to be available to implement decisions of the international community. This is what the New Partnership for Africa's Development now needs. We hope that, this time, the international community will meet the challenge.

Mr. Cheah (Malaysia)

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