General Assembly Session 60 meeting 31

The President

I regret the change of meeting place. It seems as if nature is playing a role here, sending a message about the Capital Master Plan.

Today the General Assembly will consider agenda items 66 and 47 in a joint debate.

The meeting of the General Assembly has been called to provide an opportunity for debate on two matters, on the 2001-2010 Decade to Roll Back Malaria in Developing Countries, particularly in Africa, and on progress in implementation and international support for the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD).

Our deliberations are based on a number of helpful papers from the Secretary-General, including the report of his Advisory Panel on International Support for NEPAD (see A/60/85). I particularly commend the Panel for rooting its work in the realities of the lives of the poor. We should all bear in mind that "Success cannot be measured in the number of consultations, meetings and plans alone" and "The lives of people must change as a result of African and international support for NEPAD".

On malaria, there has been welcome progress in recent years. First of all, the number of treated bed nets distributed has increased massively during the past three years, and tenfold in more than a dozen African countries. That is a good example of aid working and of its making a very concrete difference in the lives of the poor. Secondly, the first African factory producing long-lasting bed nets opened in late 2004. Thirdly, since 2001, 53 countries have begun using more effective malaria drugs, with support from World Health Organization (WHO) and donors. In that connection, there is a worldwide effort under way to ensure that there are sufficient amounts of the raw material available to meet growing demand. Fourthly, there has been increased political momentum behind the international fight against malaria, not least because of leadership shown by African leaders. Lastly, there have been a number of recent pledges to increase bilateral and multilateral funding to tackle malaria.

But the tragic fact remains that every 30 seconds a child somewhere in Africa dies of malaria. Malaria remains the biggest killer of children under age five in Africa. All this happens despite the fact that we know how to prevent and treat malaria, and we know how to do it cheaply. So, if we are to lift this unnecessary and unacceptable burden of disease from the world's poorest, we need a strong partnership backed up by renewed financial and political commitment.

Turning to NEPAD, I believe 2005 has been a year of increased momentum for the cause of development, and for Africa in particular. This was evident at the world summit, where leader after leader from all over the world stressed the importance of tackling poverty.

As a result of the various reports, commissions and summits throughout the year, real progress has been made. We now have a clearer sense than ever before of what needs to be done to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, and we must keep up that momentum. But I also know that, particularly in much of sub-Saharan Africa, there must be a rapid acceleration of efforts if the goals are to be met.

We have seen some welcome new commitments, both from developing countries and donors. The Group of Eight Summit in Gleneagles made substantial commitments on aid volumes and debt. African Union leaders (AU), at their Summit meeting in Sirte, Libya, made strong commitments on governance and on creating an environment conducive to investment and development.

Thanks in no small part to the African-owned agenda that NEPAD lays out, Africa is creating for itself a time of opportunity, the like of which we have not seen for a generation. In 1998, 14 African countries were in a state of armed conflict or strife. Now the number engaged in major conflict is down to three -- still three too many, of course. The African Union is taking an ever more active role in peace and security. And there is no better signal of Africa's determination to take responsibility for its development than the news that 23 African countries have signed up with the African Peer Review Mechanism, with AU leaders in Sirte urging all member States to join as quickly as possible.

Having made this progress, there is now a fourfold challenge before us, in my view.

First, we must ensure that the commitments made this year are implemented. Implementation is a crucial word to the credibility of both this Organization and the work we do in this Organization. I was pleased to learn that the Africa Partnership Forum meeting in London on 4 and 5 October 2005 agreed that there should be one Joint Action Plan covering both donor and African commitments, and that progress on the Action Plan would be reviewed each year beginning in October 2006.

Secondly, the world must ensure that the final challenge of 2005 is accomplished -- namely, achieving an outcome in the trade talks in Hong Kong in December, which will advance the cause of development in Africa and beyond.

Thirdly, we must ensure that the momentum generated this year is maintained and built upon. All those who have a role to play -- African Governments and countries, regional organizations, donors, the international financial institutions, civil society, the private sector -- must step up to the challenge. Here at the United Nations, it simply will not do for us to say that we have now "done development" at the World Summit, and that we will come back to it at another Review in five years' time. We must keep development high on the General Assembly's agenda this year.

A top priority is to get the Peacebuilding Commission established by the end of the year, so that the international community is able to give those African States emerging from conflict the support they deserve. You will also know that the President of the Economic and Social Council, Ambassador Akram, has important plans on development, not least the special event to be held later this month on the food crisis in Africa.

Fourthly, you, as members of the General Assembly, must ensure that the world hears the full story about what is happening in Africa. Yes, there are still enormous unmet needs. HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis, alongside malaria, continue to take a massive, deadly toll. There are too many Africans whose lives are blighted by poverty, insecurity or a lack of human dignity. But -- and I stress this -- we must also avoid a sense of helplessness and despair about Africa. The more you can get the message out about the many good things you are doing to tackle corruption, improve governance, attract investment and help your people lift themselves out of poverty, the stronger the chorus will be that demands that you get the support you need and deserve.

We will now move on to the list of speakers. We have an improvised podium here in this chamber. Speakers will have to adapt the microphone to their height.

Mr. Andjaba (Namibia)

On behalf of the African Group, I wish to express our deep appreciation to the Secretary-General for his third consolidated report on progress in the implementation of and international support for the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD), as contained in document A/60/178, and his report on the causes of conflict and the promotion of durable peace and sustainable development in Africa, in document A/60/182. The two issues are inextricably linked because no meaningful development can take place in a situation of violent conflict and insecurity. Therefore, while we welcome the fact that, at present, only three African countries are engaged in major conflict, we continue to be deeply disturbed by the lingering civil strife in other parts of Africa, which are causing death and destruction and laying waste vast swathes of productive land on the continent. It is no source of joy to us that "most African countries enjoy relatively stable political conditions" (A/60/182, para. 4) under democratic Governments.

Indeed, we want all African countries to enjoy firmly rooted democratic governance under the rule of law, which alone can create the conditions conducive to the renaissance to which the continent has committed itself through the NEPAD initiative. The African Group believes that the many challenges and threats facing our continent demand a wider engagement from the international community as a whole.

Africa recognizes that the consolidation of development will be hampered by internecine conflicts that decimate populations, plunder precious natural resources and destroy already limited infrastructure. Consequently, the urgency to consolidate the necessary conditions for durable peace and development throughout the African continent cannot be overstated. As noted in the Secretary-General's report under reference, the two major threats to durable peace and sustainable development in Africa are internal conflict including civil war, genocide and other large-scale atrocities -- and economic and social threats, including poverty, infectious diseases and environmental degradation.

With regard to internal conflicts and other large-scale atrocities, the report of the Secretary-General is quite accurate in pointing out some of the crucial challenges facing the security environment in Africa, such as illicit trafficking in small arms and light weapons, mercenaries, the illegal exploitation of natural resources, youth unemployment, the problem of refugees, and diseases such as HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis.

The challenges are also enormous in maintaining international attention in areas where peace remains fragile unless sustained through a multidimensional approach to peace, thus minimizing the risk of relapse into conflict. The African Group believes that the time is ripe for a structured cooperation between the African Union (AU) and the United Nations in order to assist the ongoing efforts to develop an African-led agenda on post-conflict peacebuilding, addressing the nexus between security, development and the humanitarian dimensions of peace in Africa.

To that end, we note with satisfaction the strengthening of the capacity of the AU to intervene and mediate in conflicts on the continent through the establishment of the African Peace Facility, funded initially by the European Union, to support AU peace operations and capacity-building. We also welcome the provision by the G-8 countries of direct bilateral technical assistance and financial support to the AU, as well as to some subregional organizations, such as the Economic Community of West African States and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, to support their conflict-prevention and crisis-management efforts.

Those laudable initiatives have been endorsed in the 2005 summit outcome document. We firmly call for the urgent and comprehensive implementation by all sides of the commitments made on conflict prevention, peacekeeping and post-conflict peacebuilding and reconstruction. It is our belief that the early operationalization of the peacebuilding commission would be helpful in post-conflict reconstruction in Africa.

The elimination of economic and social threats to durable peace and sustainable development in Africa is at the very heart of the NEPAD initiative. As stated in the Secretary-General's report, "NEPAD aims to generate broad-based and equitable growth that allows Africa to reduce poverty and integrate better into the world economy" (A/60/178, para. 5) -- a task that is complex and painstaking.

The complex and painstaking nature of the process involved in turning NEPAD objectives into practical achievements comes through quite clearly in the discussion of the various sectors of the NEPAD programme in the report of the Secretary-General. African countries have made progress through the Short-term Action Plan in infrastructure development, covering facilitation studies and investment and capacity-building projects.

It is evident from the current report that lack of technical capacity is a major impediment that requires urgent, time-bound remedial measures to accelerate the capacity-building programmes and thereby move the infrastructure-building agenda forward. In that connection, we call for the speedy implementation of the commitment undertaken by the international community in the 2005 summit outcome document to support the building of an international infrastructure consortium involving the African Union, the World Bank and the African Development Bank, with NEPAD as the main framework, to facilitate public and private infrastructure investment in Africa.

We welcome the launching of the NEPAD e-schools demonstration project, which is a critical element of the NEPAD e-schools initiative, and call for the provision of more resources to expand the initiative to more African countries.

We share the view expressed in the report that most of the elements of disease-based programmes in Africa need a functional health service for effective delivery. The lack of skilled human resources in the health sector in Africa is a very vexed question. On the one hand, African Governments, constrained by limited resources, are unable to train adequate health workers, while on the other, the few that have been trained with scarce resources are leaving in large numbers to seek more lucrative conditions abroad, thereby worsening an already bad situation. It is thus imperative to support the health systems in Africa.

It is encouraging to note that the articulation of the road map for the implementation of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme was the most important development during the year. In that regard, we note with appreciation the decision by our development partners, especially the United States of America through its Initiative to End Hunger in Africa, to allocate $47 million for 2005, in support of the implementation of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme. Our gratitude also goes to the Department for International Development of the United Kingdom and the International Fund for Agricultural Development for other initiatives in support of the Programme.

African countries have committed themselves to the promotion of democracy and good governance, including economic governance, as espoused by the African leaders, including in the African Peer Review Mechanism. We note that 23 countries have signed on to the African Peer Review Mechanism, and the Peer Review Panel has completed country reviews for Ghana and Rwanda and presented its report to the African Peer Review Forum in Abuja for discussion. We commend all countries and institutions that have contributed to the African Peer Review Mechanism trust fund and call on the international community to continue providing financial resources and technical assistance to the process. The completion of the review process for countries that have signed up will give added impetus to the African Peer Review Mechanism and may encourage other countries wishing to do so to join the process.

The international community made an unequivocal commitment in the 2005 summit outcome document (resolution 60/1) to provide coherent support for NEPAD programmes, including by mobilizing internal and external financial resources and by facilitating approval of such programmes by the multilateral financial institutions. We hope that these commitments will be speedily implemented in support of the continent's development.

Concerning official development assistance (ODA), we warmly welcome the recent decisions taken by our partners, including the G-8 and the European Union, in support of Africa's development efforts, including commitments that will lead to an increase in ODA to Africa of $25 billion per year by 2010, as part of the drive to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015.

We wish, however, to re-emphasize the fact that declared pledges by themselves will not effect the desired changes. Delivery of the pledged support through new and additional resources in a sustained, effective and timely manner is crucial in order not to hinder the pace of implementation of development priorities in Africa. We further call for the implementation of the internationally agreed target of 0.7 per cent of gross national income (GNI) to developing countries, with 0.15 to 0.20 per cent of GNI to the least developed countries.

It is important that developed countries ensure aid predictability and aid effectiveness through the implementation of the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness. Coordination of delivery of aid consistent with national priorities will be essential for Africa if it is to meet the MDGs by 2015. The same applies to budgetary support to facilitate the achievement of the MDGs.

In the 2005 summit outcome document, the international community also committed itself to promote a comprehensive and durable solution to the external debt problem of African countries, including through the cancellation of 100 per cent of multilateral debt for highly indebted poor countries (HIPCs), consistent with the G-8 proposal, and, on a case-by-case basis, significant debt relief for heavily indebted non-HIPC African countries which have unsustainable debt burdens. We are, however, concerned that many African countries remain burdened by debt, and we call for urgent measures to address the debt crisis of those countries.

In this regard, we are greatly encouraged by the agreement reached in Washington on 25 September 2005 by the Development Committee and the International Monetary and Financial Committee of the Board of Governors of the International Monetary Fund to endorse the G-8 proposal to cancel 100 per cent of multilateral debt owed by 18 eligible HIPCs, 14 of which are in Africa. We call for the speedy implementation of that decision, as well as for a clear framework of implementation from the African Development Bank. We recognize that the agreement does not cover bilateral debt and debt owed to other multilateral credit institutions, and we call for measures to address those issues in order to address the debt burden in Africa comprehensively.

As rightly stated in the Secretary-General's report (A/60/178), while debt relief and increased ODA coupled with policy reforms are important to meeting Africa's needs in the short to medium term, equitable trade holds the key to its long-term growth and development. And yet it is in this area that the least progress has been made. Much lip service has been paid by the world community to trade liberalization and expeditious work towards implementing the development dimensions of the Doha Work Programme and to integrating African countries fully into the international trading system.

As we approach the Hong Kong Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization (WTO), scheduled for December of this year, we call on all WTO members, particularly the industrialized countries, to show leadership and the much-needed political will to move the development agenda forward. Fair trade, as argued in the report, not only requires market access, but also the strengthening of the capacity of African countries to export. In this connection, we endorse the recommendation that initiatives such as the trade-for-aid agenda, aimed at building Africa's capacity to compete in international trade, should be promoted and expanded.

We recognize the potential of South-South cooperation in promoting economic growth and development. The challenge, however, is to translate this potential into practical activities and programmes that can yield results within specific time frames, including through the implementation of initiatives such as the Tokyo International Conference on African Development-NEPAD Joint Policy Framework for the Promotion of Trade and Investment between Africa and Asia and the New Asian-African Strategic Partnership. However, we remain of the view that South-South cooperation should complement and not replace North-South cooperation.

The Secretary-General's report notes that the United Nations system, through its funds, programmes and specialized agencies, has been in the forefront of the advocacy and harnessing of international support for Africa's development efforts in general and NEPAD in particular. We call on the United Nations funds, programmes and specialized agencies to further improve the coordination of their support for NEPAD and the achievement of the MDGs in order to avoid duplication of activities and to maximize the use of available resources. As we embark on the implementation phase of the summit outcome, we look to the United Nations system to continue to offer its invaluable institutional support to the NEPAD programme, the African Union and individual African countries, as together we pursue the challenging goal of development in Africa.

To conclude, the African Group wishes to stress the importance of mutual accountability in the partnership for development that Africa is striving to establish with the international community, as recognized in the collaborative work done by the Economic Commission for Africa and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development on the mutual review of aid effectiveness in Africa. We share the view expressed in the biennial report issued by those two institutions that, at a time when large increases in aid to Africa are contemplated, both donors' and recipient African countries' systems for aid delivery and management should be strengthened. The African Group is convinced that mutual accountability will ensure improved development performance and sustained aid increases.

Mr. Thomson (United Kingdom)

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the 25 European Union member States. Bulgaria, Romania, Turkey, Croatia, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro, Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova align themselves with this statement.

First of all, I am speaking personally but I think I speak for my European Union colleagues as well. I welcome your introductory statement to this debate, Mr. President, and in particular the four points you underlined: the importance of implementing of the commitments made this year, the importance of building on the momentum achieved this year, the importance of relaying to the world the full story of Africa and the importance of the outcome of the Hong Kong trade talks, to which I shall turn in a moment.

On all these points, the European Union (EU) is committed to playing a leading role in helping to meet the special needs of Africa. I want to use the debate this morning to identify some of the ways in which the European Union hopes that the African development agenda can be taken forward over the coming months and implemented.

The 2005 World Summit outcome document underlines the commitment of the global community to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). It also provides the Africa Partnership Forum with the principles of a joint framework to ensure delivery of international and African commitments to the continent. These advances represent a partnership between all of us. And both of these developments provide us with a substantive basis on which to build further, including by creating an environment conducive to the development of the whole African continent. As our heads of State and Government agreed, peace and security, development and human rights are interlinked and mutually reinforcing.

As I said, I want to start with trade, a powerful engine for development and for achieving the MDGs. The European Union looks forward to working closely with partners towards success in the Doha Development Agenda, in particular in the run-up to the crucial WTO Ministerial Meeting in Hong Kong in December. We believe that it will be possible -- and crucial -- for substantial progress to be made in Hong Kong so as to bring the Doha Round to an early and successful conclusion in all areas of negotiation. With a comprehensive, pro-development agenda -- combining trade liberalization with rule-making and complementary aid for trade and trade-related assistance -- the Doha Round can bring benefits to all trading partners and in particular to developing countries. We also believe that it is important to make progress in the area of regional integration, which accounts for a substantial element of the income generated by trade.

Preferential market access remains important, in particular for the poorest countries, many of which are in Africa. The European Union market remains the most open, and the most important, for developing-country exports globally. Since 2001, our Everything But Arms scheme has provided duty-free and quota-free market access to all least developed countries exports. And the Cotonou Agreement provides preferential market access to the European Union by African, Caribbean and Pacific countries. Since 1980, trade between the European Union and developing countries has more than tripled and one fifth of all developing country exports now go to the European Union. As much as 97 per cent of African, Caribbean and Pacific countries' exports to the European Union enter duty free, and tariff escalation is virtually non-existent.

But as the previous speaker, the Ambassador of Namibia, has just reminded us, Africa also needs greater support for trade capacity-building in order to maximize the opportunities created. The European Union is already the world's biggest provider of trade-related assistance. To help developing countries fully exploit market access opportunities, the European Community this summer pledged to increase such assistance to 1 billion euros per year.

Let me turn to aid now. The European Union currently provides almost half of all the money spent to help developing countries. As part of a comprehensive approach to our international assistance, the European Union is committed to providing more and better aid, multilateral debt relief and complementary innovative sources of finance in order to help meet the Millennium Development Goals. At present, four out of the five countries that exceed the United Nations target for official development assistance (ODA) of 0.7 per cent of GNP are members of the European Union. In June of this year, as the representative of Namibia recalled, the European Union adopted a new collective target of 0.56 per cent by 2010 and an undertaking to achieve a 0.7 per cent target by 2015, with a 0.33 per cent target for European Union member States who joined the Union after 2002. This landmark agreement should double European Union aid from current levels to over $80 billion by 2010. At least half of this aid will go to Africa.

To ensure that this huge increase in funds is used effectively, the European Council will agree to a new Africa strategy by December of this year. This will be a strategy of the whole European Union: the Union, its institutions and the member States. It will apply to the whole of Africa, not just to Africa south of the Sahara. The primary aim will be the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals right across Africa. It will encompass development, security and human rights. It will be based on the principles of African ownership, equality and mutual accountability. And it will launch a new European Union/Africa strategic partnership, setting the course of the relationship for the long term.

In order to deliver a better deal for the citizens of Africa, a key theme of this strategy will be support and help to develop strong African institutions. This will include a package of financial and practical help to build the capacity of the African Union, the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) and Africa's subregional and national institutions.

In particular, we support the African Peer Review Mechanism and its Secretariat Trust Fund, enabling African States to monitor each other's performance. We hope to see this process moving forward in 2006. We are providing European Union electoral observation missions to monitor elections in Africa and to help promote the adoption of ever-better electoral standards and practice. We will support the African Union in its endeavours to strengthen better governance, regional integration and poverty reduction in Africa through its economic and social programmes, including NEPAD. We will support efforts to enhance the capacity of the African Union and regional economic communities by providing programme support, in cooperation with other donors. We will work to promote and protect all human rights and fundamental freedoms by strengthening European Union/African cooperation within the international human rights system and by supporting the machinery for the protection of human rights. We will work for implementation of the rule of law, as a basis for respect for human rights, democracy and development, by providing support for institution-building.

Furthermore, in order to ensure that Africa's wealth benefits its people, the European Union will continue to support, both politically and financially, African States that tackle corruption. The European Union-Africa Strategy will ensure that aid will flow increasingly towards well-governed countries, while paying attention to all vulnerable States. And all EU member States will commit to early ratification of the United Nations Convention against Corruption and to the enactment of laws to return stolen assets.

HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria account for 6 million deaths each year in the developing world. This morning, you yourself, Mr. President, powerfully underlined the impact of malaria in particular. We must all work urgently to address the impact of those major communicable diseases through strengthened health systems that facilitate an integrated approach of prevention, treatment, care and research. All these require greater resources if Africa is to achieve the MDGs. The EU Programme for Action, announced earlier this year, outlines our future strategy for combating HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. We are committed to the goal of universal access to prevention, treatment and care by 2010.

The European Union is a major contributor to the development and effective implementation of evidence-based malaria control programmes and to work on increasing the affordability of antimalarial medicines. The EU is supporting research for better malaria drugs and an effective vaccine. Some EU member States are currently working with partners to develop an advance market commitment for a malaria vaccine. And the EU is a strong supporter of the Roll Back Malaria Partnership and of the work of the World Health Organization, both of which are vital to scaling up the international response to malaria.

European Union member States and the European Commission were founding members of the Global Fund to Fight HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. To date, we have pledged $4.5 billion -- more than half of all the money pledged to the Fund. Almost two thirds of the Fund's money goes to sub-Saharan Africa.

Our Namibian colleague reminded us that meaningful development cannot take place in an environment of violence and insecurity. The European Union welcomes African resolve to tackle the problems of insecurity and instability on the continent. Over the past few years, the African Union has sought to transform and develop the African security architecture through the establishment of its Peace and Security Council, and plans for a panel of the wise and a continental early-warning system, as well as through progress towards an African standby force. That commitment was reinforced at the African Union summit in Sirte this year, where leaders committed, as members will recall, to:

"addressing conflict and political instability on the continent, with the aim of achieving a conflict-free Africa by 2010 by prioritizing and allocating more resources to conflict prevention and post-conflict reconstruction and peacebuilding ..."

The European Union is fully committed to those efforts and to playing a full part in the 10-year plan for capacity-building with the African Union that was called for by the world summit just a few weeks ago. The European Union will continue its dialogue with the African Union with a view to establishing institutional linkages and defining a comprehensive operational agenda, particularly on peace and security. In that context, the timely holding of a second EU-Africa summit, as foreseen in the Cairo Declaration, remains an important objective of the EU-Africa dialogue. The European Union also welcomes commitments made by the Group of Eight to support African capacities for peace and security.

One of the European Union's main tools for supporting African efforts in peace and security is the African Peace Facility, a 250 million instrument to finance African-led peace support operations in Africa. It is operated and staffed by Africans, and it will help to build longer-term capacity in the African Union and in subregional African institutions to prevent, manage and resolve crises. So far, the Peace Facility has supported the African Union leadership in Darfur by providing more than 92 million to the African Union Mission in the Sudan. The European Union has also provided 6 million to the African Union's Peace and Security Department for its capacity-building plans. And we are currently considering how we might continue to provide support to African-led missions in the future through the African Peace Facility.

But, of course, the partnership between the European Union and the African Union on peace and security should not be only about money. In the future, the EU and the AU also hope to increase cooperation in areas such as planning and management capacity and information-sharing on doctrine and standards and logistical support. In that context, it is worth noting the European Union's support for the Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the framework of the European Security and Defence Policy. The EU will also continue working with African and other international partners to check the flow of unregulated arms on the continent. In addition, there is a need to ensure that European Union and African Union capacities can coordinate and mesh with the capacities of the United Nations.

It would not be right to end my statement, Mr. President, without underlining the importance of the Peacebuilding Commission; you have done so yourself. For Africa and Europe, the Peacebuilding Commission is one of the biggest prizes to come out of the summit and a major priority. The experience of the Economic and Social Council's ad hoc advisory groups on African countries emerging from conflict has demonstrated the central role that post-conflict peacebuilding plays in ensuring a smooth transition to stability and development. For too long, the international community's efforts at peacebuilding, in Africa as elsewhere, have been marked by piecemeal and uncoordinated interventions that often lack national ownership. The result is the famous statistic that approximately half of post-conflict countries relapse into conflict within a decade. We have a moral, political and economic duty to improve our approach and to help those countries establish a lasting, sustainable peace.

The Peacebuilding Commission will be the forum for all relevant actors in peacebuilding, so that coordination and delivery can be genuinely improved. It will keep the political spotlight on fragile countries as they make the transition to development, and it will be a means to help mobilize sustained funding for peacebuilding. We must push forward and agree on the modalities of the Peacebuilding Commission quickly so that it can be ready to work by 31 December 2005, as we pledged at the summit. We must do this, not least for Africa's sake.

More generally, the whole United Nations system should play an important role in supporting African development to achieve the MDGs and to create security and sustainability throughout the continent. That includes agency work at the country level as well as the activities of the principal organs, including the General Assembly and the Security Council. A reformed Economic and Social Council also has an important role to play, particularly in promoting and monitoring the implementation of internationally agreed development goals, including the MDGs.

The European Union is proud of its record of partnership with Africa. We will continue to work tirelessly with our friends and partners to achieve the Millennium Development Goals. We remain convinced that the MDGs, while ambitious, are achievable. We are putting in place both the resources and the strategy needed to realize that ambition and we look forward to the day when this challenge is met right across the African continent.

Mr. Neil (Jamaica)

I would like, on behalf of the Group of 77 and China, to thank you Mr. President, for your opening statement this morning, which has set the tone and established the focus for this debate.

I would also like to thank the Secretary-General for his third consolidated report on progress in implementation of and international support for the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD), contained in document A/60/178. For the Group of 77 and China, the discussion this morning is a necessary continuation of the focus this year on the special needs of Africa. These are critical times for the people of the continent, but we are seeing signs of hope.

Several reports considered during the course of this year, in particular the Millennium Project report and the report of the Commission for Africa, focused on ways to generate new momentum for development in Africa. Important decisions have been taken and specific commitments made to mobilize resources for Africa's development. If those are pursued and fulfilled, the prospects for the future will be brighter.

We can see from the Secretary-General's report that there have been positive developments in the implementation of NEPAD. The report provides detailed examples of the progress made in the areas of agriculture, health, education, infrastructure and information and communications technology. We are convinced that there is great scope for building on those gains.

Progress continues to be constrained, however, by several factors. The first concerns the issue of resources. The needs are substantial for the building of the social and economic infrastructure. For example, paragraph 15 of the Secretary-General's report draws attention to the lack of skilled human resources in the health sector and the particular challenge that that poses for African countries, where health professionals are leaving for better opportunities in developed countries. The solution to that ever-growing problem requires coordinated action on the part of both the African and the recipient States.

Similarly, in view of the devastating impact of HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis on the socio-economic development of the continent, substantial resources are needed to support efforts to respond effectively to those pandemics. The 2005 World Summit Outcome reaffirms some important avenues through which that can be advanced so as to ensure increased bilateral and multilateral assistance to strengthen African health systems. We continue to call for a more affordable and accessible supply of drugs to be made available to Africa.

With respect to official development assistance (ODA), the trend has been towards an increase in the volume of ODA to Africa since 2002. The recent European Union (EU) commitment to establishing timetables to meet the target of 0.7 per cent target of gross national income for ODA to developing countries and to the doubling of aid to Africa by 2010 are positive developments, which we welcome. There is, however, still cause for concern. Paragraph 38 of the Secretary-General's report identifies the need for more resources to be channelled to the leading programmes and sectors of NEPAD and for greater attention to be given to increasing budgetary support for development. Continuing efforts to improve the quality and effectiveness of aid are also needed, with the full involvement of both donor and recipient countries.

Another area requiring special attention is that of foreign direct investment (FDI) flows to Africa. Despite increases in FDI globally from $15 billion in 2003 to $20 billion in 2004, Africa's share in global foreign direct investment flows remains only 3 per cent. We believe that there is a need for more creative initiatives and greater efforts in capacity-building and infrastructural development in order to increase FDI to African countries. We look forward to good results from the ongoing discussion on the proposal to create an investment climate facility for Africa, which has been endorsed by the NEPAD secretariat and major multilateral and bilateral donor agencies.

On debt, the position of the Group of 77 and China is well known. Debt-relief initiatives should be additional to ODA resources for development purposes and should be all-encompassing, so that all heavily indebted developing countries can benefit appropriately.

With respect to trade, the forthcoming World Trade Organization Ministerial Meeting provides an important opportunity for significant decisions to be taken to reform the world trading system so as to provide better opportunities for trade to contribute to Africa's long-term growth and development. We expect every effort to be made so that the development dimensions of the Doha work programme can be truly realized.

With regard to the role of the United Nations, paragraph 56 of the Secretary-General's report correctly points to the need for greater coordination within the United Nations system in supporting the implementation of NEPAD. That is one area in which greater efforts will have to be made. We therefore support the proposals advanced to improve coordination between the United Nations and the African Union in order to enhance collaboration and coherence within the United Nations system in support of NEPAD.

Our commitments made in support of NEPAD should be honoured. The report identifies this as one of the major challenges in ensuring the timely and effective implementation of NEPAD in a manner which will generate significant results for Africa. In the process, we particularly wish to caution against the imposition of restrictive conditionalities in economic cooperation programmes. The design of such programmes should be in accordance with the priorities and strategies determined by each State, and suitably adapted to each particular institutional and cultural environment. It is important that those are applied on the basis of national ownership in order for maximum benefit to flow in the process of implementation.

The President

I would like to say once again that I regret that we have had to make provisional arrangements to hold our meeting in this chamber. If representatives prefer to speak from their seats, they may do so; I leave it up to them to choose. This is because of the weather conditions and the obvious need for the United Nations building to be refurbished. I ask for the understanding of members.

Mr. Talbot (Guyana)

I would like to join previous speakers in thanking you, Mr. President, for your thoughtful statement at the beginning of our debate. It will serve as a useful reference point in our deliberations.

I am especially honoured to speak in today's debate on the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) on behalf of the States members of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). CARICOM aligns itself fully with the statement just delivered by the Permanent Representative of Jamaica on behalf of the Group of 77 and China.

CARICOM views the adoption of the New Partnership as a reflection of Africa's determination to harness its own resources to extricate its people from poverty, underdevelopment and marginalization. We are convinced that the Partnership offers a viable and authoritative framework not only for the mobilization of efforts by Africans themselves, but also for the mobilization of effective support on the part of the international community.

CARICOM member States are heartened by the leadership that African countries have shown both in laying the foundations for long-term development and in creating conditions for durable peace and security in that continent. The African Union (AU) has been a positive force for change on the continent and has been a credible partner to the international community in promoting the aspirations of human progress worldwide.

We follow with great interest the creative efforts of the AU in the development of new institutional arrangements to accelerate integration in the continent and to enable Africa to play its rightful role in the world. We share a common commitment with the AU to good governance in managing the affairs of our peoples. Those efforts, in our view, deserve the unstinting support of the international community. CARICOM congratulates the African Union on its achievements and pledges its continued support and cooperation in that regard.

The long-standing ties of solidarity and cooperation between Africa and the Caribbean received a welcome boost by the decision of the African Union to include its diaspora as the sixth region and to involve the representatives of the Caribbean diaspora in deliberations in the Economic, Social and Cultural Council and the civil society advisory group. Pursuant to that decision, during March of this year the Governments of Jamaica and South Africa co-sponsored a conference under the theme "Towards unity and united action by Africans and the African diaspora in the Caribbean for a better world". The conference, which was attended by all CARICOM member States, with representatives from both the public sector and civil society, recommended the further development of a concrete mechanism for the institutionalization of the relationships between the AU and CARICOM, identified specific areas for collaboration and the building of linkages between countries in Africa and the Caribbean, called for collaboration among civil society, and agreed that CARICOM and the AU would explore ways to harness international diplomacy to promote our mutual objectives in the United Nations and the World Trade Organization (WTO). The outcome of the conference received the endorsement of CARICOM heads at their twenty-sixth annual meeting, held earlier this year in Saint Lucia, marking the beginning of a promising new chapter in the relations between our two regions at all levels.

Let me now comment briefly on the third consolidated report on progress in implementation of and international support for the New Partnership, as contained in document A/60/178. The report, in our view, provides a hopeful overview of developments over the past year. It notes that 2005 has been marked by important regional actions and greater international response in support of Africa's development. CARICOM welcomes the promising developments on the continent in certain sectoral areas, such as infrastructure, information and communication technology, health, education, environment and tourism, and agriculture, led by African countries and organizations. In respect of agriculture, the elaboration of the road map for the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme, acknowledged as the most important development in that area over the past year, harbours the potential for the promotion of a "green revolution" on the continent and the strengthening of the underpinnings of its long-term development.

Those encouraging achievements notwithstanding, many obstacles stand in the way of the attainment of NEPAD objectives and of the Millennium Development Goals on the continent. The report calls attention to a number of the many challenges and constraints that continue to beset the implementation of the New Partnership. The HIV/AIDS pandemic, along with other communicable diseases, is still taking a heavy toll on the human capital and the social and economic infrastructure of Africa. Africa's heavy debt burden remains a major drain on its development potential. The continent lacks the financial resources needed to generate the requisite levels of growth to reduce poverty. Africa's share of global trade continues to be marginal, and while the region has recently witnessed positive developments in attracting foreign direct investment, those gains need to be consolidated through a facilitative international framework of support for efforts on the continent to create an environment conducive to investment.

That state of affairs represents a major challenge not only for Africa, but for the international community as a whole. It underlines the critical importance of a long-term engagement on the part both of Africa and of its development partners in order to assure the full realization of the objectives of NEPAD.

Recent initiatives by the international community offer hope that such an engagement can indeed materialize, to the mutual benefit of Africa and its development partners. We welcome the recent G-8 Africa Action Plan, which promises debt relief, increased aid flows, a commitment to improving global market access for African exports, and an agreement to provide medical assistance to the continent. Commitments made by developed partners to achieve the 0.7 per cent official development assistance target by 2015 are also welcome. We remain hopeful that those commitments will be implemented with due dispatch.

We note, however, that even as those measures are put into effect, there are developments in a number of areas, such as the marketing of commodities, including sugar and cotton, which may negatively impact the future of many countries both in Africa and the Caribbean. We therefore call for renewed international attention to the need for coherence in development, trade and finance policies to avert the erosion of development gains and the aggravation of poverty in developing countries. We also look to the WTO meeting in Hong Kong as an important test of the commitment to placing development at the heart of multilateral trade negotiations.

In the final analysis, while the primary responsibility for the promotion of durable peace and sustainable development in Africa rests with Africans themselves, the fortunes of the continent will depend not only on the actions of Africans, but also on the actions of the international community, which have the potential either to support or to undermine the gains made in recent years. The 2005 world summit outcome has pledged the international community to coherent support for NEPAD implementation and to specific measures in favour of African countries. The implementation of those commitments must now engage our urgent attention.

For its part, CARICOM, linked to Africa by fraternal ties and solidarity in historic struggles, remains committed to playing a positive and constructive role in support of the aspirations embodied in the New Partnership.

Mr. Maema (Lesotho)

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the members of the Southern African Development Community (SADC): Angola, Botswana, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Lesotho, Madagascar, Mauritius, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, the United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

At the outset, we wish to congratulate you, Sir, on your election to preside over the General Assembly at its sixtieth session. We are confident that your vast experience and able leadership will lead us to a successful session. SADC pledges its support and cooperation. SADC fully aligns itself with the statement made by Namibia on behalf of the African Group, which outlines the significant strides Africa, in partnership with the international community, is making in the implementation of the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD).

SADC welcomes the Secretary General's third consolidated report on progress in implementation of and international support for NEPAD, in document A/60/178, as well as the report on the causes of conflict and promotion of durable peace and sustainable development in Africa, in document A/60/182. Both reports highlight the progress made so far towards realizing Africa's aspirations to eradicating poverty and attaining sustained economic growth, sustainable development and durable peace. Perhaps more importantly, the reports call for more concerted international efforts to address the growing challenges and constraints that continue to undermine development in Africa.

Four years ago, Africa adopted NEPAD as a regional policy framework to guide the continent in its quest for economic prosperity and stability. NEPAD is anchored in the fundamental principles of African ownership, leadership and accountability, as well as good governance and the maintenance of peace and security. NEPAD envisages a strong partnership with the international community built on mutual goodwill, respect and solidarity, a programme which this body has recognized as a framework through which the international community should assist Africa.

We recognized then, as we do today, that national Governments and regional economic communities have critical roles to play in the realization and implementation of the NEPAD initiative. In that respect, allow me to highlight the efforts that SADC is making to harmonize its development priorities with NEPAD through the Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RISDP), particularly in the areas of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) and the environment; education and health; science and technology; infrastructure development and tourism; resource mobilization, capacity-building, gender mainstreaming and civil society participation; and democracy, peace, security and governance. To that end, priority has been accorded to the harmonization of policies and coordination of the implementation of key programmes in the area of social and human development, in line with RISDP, the Millennium Development Goals, and, indeed, NEPAD.

Furthermore, since 2004, the SADC and NEPAD secretariats have scaled up their coordination of and participation in NEPAD-related development activities and their mobilization of resources to expedite the implementation of projects. That relationship will no doubt go a long way towards contributing to greater coherence and synchronization of priorities and plans, as well as enabling the possibility of sharing expertise and resources in critical areas.

SADC has a common agenda geared towards the promotion and attainment of sustainable development, peace, stability and democracy. We have long recognized that good political, economic and corporate governance is an essential prerequisite of sustainable development. In that regard, we are pleased to note that half of the SADC member States have acceded to the African Peer Review Mechanism. Those are important tenets to which both SADC and NEPAD fully subscribe.

SADC will therefore continue to strive to promote strong synergies between its development programmes and NEPAD by working together and pursuing projects that will have direct economic and social benefits for SADC countries; contribute to poverty eradication and human development; have economy-of-scale gains where regionally coordinated investments or operations will result in substantial cost savings and employment benefits; unlock the economic potential of less developed areas and countries to promote balanced and equitable development; contribute to SADC's integration into the regional, continental and global economy; contribute to market integration specially facilitating free movement of goods, services and factors of production; and contribute to sustainable development and gender equality.

Efforts to source funds to implement development projects within the NEPAD framework have been scaled up by the NEPAD and SADC secretariats. In that context, intensive consultations are ongoing to speed up the implementation of the Short-term Action Plan for infrastructure and the CAADP. Moreover, in the NEPAD Short-term Action Plan, SADC has also identified the need to upgrade transport infrastructure along some key regional corridors.

SADC continues to contend with the HIV/AIDS scourge, which is threatening to reverse all the development gains we have made over the years. In 2004, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS estimated that one third of the global community living with HIV is in SADC countries. We have, however, given top priority to combating the pandemic, as well as other communicable diseases, such as malaria and tuberculosis, that are decimating our productive populations. To overcome those afflictions in the long run, we will continue to count on the support of our development partners.

SADC welcomes the recent pledges of increased support by the international community, as well as the recent efforts to scale up official development assistance by realizing the 0.7 per cent target. In that regard, we commend the European Union for setting up timetables for achieving that long overdue target. We equally laud and welcome the initiative of the G-8 to cancel 100 per cent of the debt of the highly indebted poor countries, 14 of which are in Africa.

The Secretary-General has noted in his report that significant progress has been made in the implementation of the NEPAD initiative. That is largely due to the impressive support of our development partners, to which SADC and, indeed, the rest of Africa owe a debt of gratitude. However, the Secretary-General also highlighted the ever-pressing challenges of inadequate official development assistance, the growing debt burden, the unfair and inequitable global trade regime, and very low foreign direct investment flows to Africa.

It should be a matter of great concern to all of us that Africa continues to have the lowest share of global foreign direct investment flows. Equally worrying is Africa's unsustainable debt burden. For instance, the SADC countries have a total debt stock of $78.1 billion, with an annual total debt service amounting to $6.8 billion. Unless progress is made in those areas, the implementation of NEPAD and the realization of other internationally agreed development goals will remain elusive. It is therefore imperative to ensure that all commitments made are realized expeditiously if Africa is to achieve the Millennium Development Goals and successfully implement its national development strategies, including poverty reduction strategy papers and all programmes and projects embodied in the NEPAD initiative.

In conclusion, the Secretary-General in his report points out that

"[T]his is a moment of opportunity for making progress in Africa's development for which NEPAD is the main policy framework. The central challenge is to grasp the opportunity and maintain the momentum" (A/60/178, para. 59).

SADC can only concur with the Secretary-General that at no point in the past has an African regional policy framework held such immense promise, exhibited such enormous potential for development, and generated so much hope and international support. We can only do well if we heed the Secretary-General's counsel and not lose the important momentum at this critical juncture.

Mr. Hamidon (Malaysia)

The States members of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) -- Brunei Darussalam, the Kingdom of Cambodia, the Republic of Indonesia, the Lao People's Democratic Republic, the Union of Myanmar, the Republic of the Philippines, the Republic of Singapore, Thailand, the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam and Malaysia -- wish to associate themselves with the statement made by the Permanent Representative of Jamaica on behalf of the Group of 77 and China.

ASEAN wishes to thank the Secretary-General for his comprehensive and thorough report on progress in the implementation of and international support for the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD), as contained in document A/60/178.

Since the New Partnership for Africa's Development was launched four years ago, there has been a transformation of the African peoples' forward movement towards greater integration and unity. The African countries' determination to maintain a positive momentum, despite the many and complex challenges, is truly admirable. We are aware from the report of the Secretary-General that the African countries have taken action on many fronts, including in infrastructure development, information and communication technology, health, education, agriculture and many other important areas. The international community has made a pledge to meet the special needs of Africa. With the appropriate international response, African countries would have a greater chance of achieving the Millennium Development Goals and of better integrating themselves into the world economy. In that connection, ASEAN hopes that partnerships for Africa's development can be further strengthened.

The partnership between Asia and Africa is long-standing and was further strengthened at the inaugural Asia-Africa Conference in Bandung in 1955. That historic occasion gave rise to a unique spirit of kinship and solidarity known as the "Bandung spirit" among the countries of the two regions. The 2005 Asia-Africa Summit and the golden jubilee of the Asia-Africa Conference of 1955, held earlier this year in Indonesia, revived the commitment of the two continents to build a world resting on the principles of peace, security, stability and prosperity. A bridge spanning the Indian Ocean, connecting the continents of Asia and Africa, is now being built through the New Asia-Africa Strategic Partnership (NAASP).

There is much common ground between NEPAD and NAASP, as the challenges being addressed by Africa are similar to those faced by other developing countries in the Asia-Pacific region, including ASEAN. Poverty still exists in rural and urban areas. Both regions also face the pandemic of HIV/AIDS and other communicable diseases, such as tuberculosis and malaria. The destructive forces of natural disasters have also affected our lives. With such similarities, it is only natural that Asia and Africa should work together. In that regard, as a subregional organization, ASEAN would very much like to have greater dialogue and cooperation in the full materialization of NEPAD, as well as NAASP. Such a dialogue has been ongoing, including through the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) and the Asia-Africa Sub-Regional Organizations Conference, in which ASEAN has been actively participating.

I would like to reiterate ASEAN's commitment to the successful implementation of NEPAD and NAASP, which are complementary efforts, and we hope that the international community will continue to give its full support to them.

I shall now make a statement on behalf of my own country, Malaysia.

Malaysia wishes to take this opportunity to extend its best wishes to Mr. Ibrahim Agboola Gambari, Under-Secretary-General/Special Adviser on Africa, on his new assignment as Under-Secretary-General in the Department of Political Affairs, effective 1 July 2005. We are confident that the Secretary-General will expeditiously appoint a candidate of equal calibre to the post of Special Adviser on Africa, as the portfolio -- which entails the promotion of international support for NEPAD and the development of Africa -- is indeed very important.

As we have previously enunciated in the past, Malaysia views NEPAD as a courageous and bold undertaking by the African countries to prevent their further marginalization from the process of globalization. In their efforts to integrate with the global economy, African countries themselves must have the ownership of their development programmes, in partnership with the relevant international agencies. In that regard, we consider NEPAD to be the most viable socio-economic blueprint for bringing sustained economic growth that would, in turn, contribute to the strengthening of democracy and enable the greater enjoyment of human rights by all the peoples of the continent.

Malaysia welcomed and strongly supported the efforts to bring development into Africa through NEPAD. We commend the African countries for supporting and adopting the initiative in their development agenda. We also applaud the leaders of Africa for their continuing commitment and steadfast determination to take bold steps in promoting sustainable economic growth and social development, reducing poverty, and achieving food security and political stability in their respective countries. I wish to recall that the Non-Aligned Movement, too, at its twelfth conference of heads of State or Government in Kuala Lumpur in February 2003, commended the establishment of NEPAD and supported its full implementation.

We are all aware that Africa faces numerous, multifaceted and complex issues that are challenging and must be dealt with in a comprehensive, integrated and coordinated manner. The continent still lags behind the target of six per cent growth in gross national product per annum, as established by the United Nations New Agenda for the Development of Africa in the 1990s. It has been noted that Africa will require an average annual economic growth of seven per cent to enable it to reduce by half the number of people living in poverty in the continent by 2015. That can be achieved only with external assistance, particularly from the developed countries, in terms of providing financial resources and foreign direct investment and opening up markets for exports from African countries.

In that connection, we share the view of the Secretary-General that NEPAD cannot succeed without a significant increase in support from the international community and that unleashing Africa's potential for development requires harnessing the creativity and dynamism of private initiative in a range of areas, including agriculture, industry, science and technology, and infrastructure development. In that regard, Malaysia welcomes the agreement by the Group of 8 to cancel the debt of the 18 poorest countries, the majority of which are in Africa. We are also pleased with the adoption by the European Union of a set of clear timelines for reaching the 0.7 per cent target of its gross national income as official development assistance, and to double its aid to more than $80 billion a year by 2010.

Malaysia is of the view that the establishment of the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) could contribute further to efforts to achieve the goals set under NEPAD. In that regard, we hope further initiatives can be undertaken to encourage and enable African countries to accede to the APRM. We also acknowledge the important contributions and roles of the African Union, the Economic Community of West African States, the Economic Community of Central African States, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development and the Southern African Development Community.

Malaysia is pleased with its existing state of relations and the level of cooperation with Africa. Nonetheless, we would continue to explore additional ways and means to further promote cooperation with countries in the continent. Malaysia's trade and economic links with Africa have grown at a satisfactory rate. In 2002, our trade with Africa totalled $1.353 billion. Last year, in 2004, it rose to $2.215 billion, an increase of 64 per cent within a span of two years. Malaysia will continue to encourage its private sector to promote and further enhance its close economic ties with its counterparts in the African countries for our mutual benefit.

Since 1980, within the framework of the Malaysian Technical Cooperation Programme, Malaysia has offered technical cooperation in areas in which it has comparative advantage in term of experience and expertise to 46 African countries. Malaysia considers this programme as its modest but useful contribution to Africa in the context of South-South cooperation. We have also engaged African partners, at both the governmental and private sector levels, through the annual Langkawi International Dialogue and the Southern African International Dialogue, convened under the auspices of the Commonwealth Partnership for Technology Management. Malaysia participated as an observer in the Third Tokyo International Conference on African Development and looks forward to actively participating again in TICAD IV in Japan in 2008. Malaysia also supports the New Asian-African Strategic Partnership adopted at the 2005 Asian-African Summit in Jakarta.

In conclusion, I would like to reaffirm Malaysia's commitment to cooperating with our African brothers and sisters in their collective efforts towards achieving peace, sustainable development and prosperity in their countries. Malaysia reiterates that it will do its utmost, within its limited means and capacity, to join others in assisting Africa, a continent that holds tremendous resources and potential, in developing its own capacity to fully integrate into the world economy.

Mr. Abdelaziz (Egypt)

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