General Assembly Session 57 meeting 83

The President

This morning, it is my sad duty to pay tribute to the memory of the late President of the Republic of Nauru, His Excellency the Honourable Bernard Dowiyogo, who passed away on Sunday, 9 March 2003.

On behalf of the General Assembly, I request the representative of Nauru to convey our condolences to the Government and the people of Nauru and to the bereaved family of His Excellency the Honourable Bernard Dowiyogo.

I invite representatives to stand and observe a minute of silence in tribute to the memory of His Excellency the Honourable Bernard Dowiyogo.

The President

I call on the representative of the Republic of Korea, who will speak on behalf of the Group of Asian States.

Mr. Sun Joun-yung (Republic of Korea)

On behalf of the States members of the Asian Group, I take the floor to express our deep condolences to the bereaved family of President Bernard Dowiyogo and to the Government and the people of Nauru in their time of sorrow.

President Dowiyogo was a dedicated statesman of Nauru for more than three decades. He came to the office of the presidency nine times and steadfastly advocated the causes of Nauru. Throughout his political life, President Dowiyogo also displayed an exceptional intellect and vision on a range of issues in international affairs. With a deep and abiding belief in multilateralism and cognizant of the challenges faced by small island developing States, such as Nauru, President Dowiyogo worked to strengthen international cooperation to achieve the goal of sustainable development.

The world community will always remember President Dowiyogo's noble contributions to the betterment of all humanity.

The President

I call on the representative of Bulgaria, who will speak on behalf of the Group of Eastern European States.

Mr. Tafrov (Bulgaria)

On behalf of the Eastern European Group of States Members of the United Nations, I would like to extend to the people and the Government of the Republic of Nauru our deepest and most sincere condolences for the demise of President Bernard Dowiyogo.

Since the beginning of his political career in 1973, when he was elected as a member of Parliament, until his ninth and final term as President of the Republic Nauru, the late Bernard Dowiyogo served in an exemplary manner the interests of his people and his country. The fact that, before his election to the highest political post in the Republic of Nauru, he was a long-term member of cabinet as Minister of Health, Minister of Justice and Minister for Island Development and Industry is evidence of his outstandingly high competence and expertise.

The late President Dowiyogo was a person of principle and stature and a politician of unswerving belief who worked relentlessly for democracy and his country. As Head of State and Government of the Republic of Nauru, Bernard Dowiyogo led the Nauru delegations to such landmark United Nations summits as the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992 and the United Nations Millenium Assembly. He joined world leaders in adopting the historic Agenda 21 and the Millennium Declaration Goals.

We are convinced that the political legacy of Bernard Dowiyogo, who dedicated his life to the prosperity and well-being of his people, will be cherished and built upon by future generations in Nauru.

The President

I call on the representative of Barbados, who will speak on behalf of the Group of Latin American and Caribbean States.

Ms. Russell (Barbados)

The Barbados delegation, on behalf of the Group of Latin American and Caribbean States, has the honour to pay tribute to the memory of the late President Bernard Dowiyogo of the Republic of Nauru. The States members of the Group of Latin American and Caribbean States would like to take this opportunity to express their profound sympathy to the people of Nauru on the loss of its great leader and patriot and to the family of the late President.

Even a brief review of the late President's life will attest to the fact that he was totally committed to public life and to the service of his country. He was active in public life for 32 long years and served as President of Nauru as many as nine times. His great contribution to the achievement of the independence and development of his country should not go unnoticed, while, throughout his many years of service, he played a key diplomatic role in the international affairs of his country.

The Latin American and Caribbean Group sincerely joins the international community in paying tribute to this great son and patriot of the Republic of Nauru.

The President

I call on the representative of Mauritania, who will speak on behalf of the Group of African States.

Mr. Ould Deddach (Mauritania)

I have the sad privilege today, on behalf of the African Group, of conveying to the friendly delegation, Government and people of Nauru our condolences on the loss of the President of the Republic of Nauru. It is clearly a heavy burden in such circumstances to express to our friends in Nauru the extent to which the African Group in its entirety shares their sorrow.

The Republic of Nauru lost its President, the late Bernard Dowiyogo, during the course of extremely complicated heart surgery. President Dowiyogo died at the young age of 57 and had just begun his ninth and final term as President of Nauru. Obviously, having been re-elected nine times to that office, the late Bernard Dowiyogo can truly be considered a major personality in his country and beyond.

We need only recall Bernard Dowiyogo's career to note the great role he played in the political life of his country and on the international scene. Having studied law in Australia and in his own country, Bernard Dowiyogo launched his political career by being elected to Parliament in 1971 for the district which he represented continuously for 32 years, right up to his death. He was a member of several Governments in Nauru and occupied a variety of important ministerial posts. He was elected President for the first time in 1976, at the age of 30, thereby becoming Nauru's youngest President ever. Bernard Dowiyogo was a man of principle and conviction, committed to human rights and to protecting the environment. He was a man of law and order who won the respect of all in Nauru and abroad.

For those who have lost him -- his wife, his eight children and his 29 grandchildren -- I would recall Massillon's beautiful funeral oration for Louis XIV. With respect to one who called himself Louis the Great, the orator said what the muezzin, in his incomparable voice, reminds us Muslims five times a day: God alone is great, my brothers. God alone is great; every one else is mortal.

The President

I call on the representative of Andorra, who will speak on behalf of the Group of Western European and other States.