General Assembly Session 61 meeting 30

Mrs. Sahu (Thailand)

Allow me at the outset to commend the Secretary-General for his comprehensive report on Africa's development (A/61/212), which highlights the significant development in Africa and the challenges the continent is facing, as well as the support provided by the international community over the past year. The report also strongly illustrates the unprecedented commitment of the United Nations to work with African countries in realizing its development potential.

Before proceeding further, I should like to associate my delegation with the statements made by the representative of South Africa on behalf of the Group of 77 and China and by the representative of the Philippines on behalf of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

There is no doubt that the question of peace and prosperity in Africa remains close to our hearts. Promoting peace and strengthening socio-economic development in Africa in order to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) has long been included among the agenda items discussed in this Hall. Achieving the Goals will be possible only through a concrete partnership among Africa, the international community, the private sector and civil society.

We share the Secretary-General's view, as presented in his report on the work of the Organization (A/61/1), that the special needs of Africa demand urgent and concerted efforts as well as continued and unabated support on the part of all stakeholders. We also share the Secretary-General's view that in recent years we have witnessed an increase in the international community's commitment, as well as Africa's own determination, to achieve the MDGs.

Conflict settlement and peace processes are being carried out in many areas, while the role of the African Union and the joint cooperation at both the national and regional levels under the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) have been strengthened. That demonstrates Africa's commitment to determine its own future through African-owned initiatives and active African involvement. It is also encouraging to learn that the official development assistance pledges and commitments made to Africa by the United Nations, international institutions, the international community and non-governmental organizations are apparently increasing. We particularly welcome the concrete support provided to the region, such as the Multilateral Debt Relief Initiative, the Millennium Villages initiatives and other projects that have been undertaken in recent years within various frameworks.

In light of those constructive prospects, Thailand joins the international community in supporting the continued efforts to promote the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals in Africa and remains committed to fully participating in joint initiatives either on our own or through the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the Group of 77 and China as well as other international forums.

In the last few years, Thailand has intensified its efforts to expand cooperation with African countries. We designated 2005-2006 as "the Year of Africa" to serve as a policy guideline for our bilateral and trilateral cooperation programmes with donor countries and international organizations, with the aim of advancing partnership in areas that will ensure a long-term positive impact on Africa's development, particularly in human resource development and capacity-building.

Based on the principle of self-sufficient development and with the aim of helping countries in Africa to diversify their productive bases, Thailand is carrying out technical cooperation programmes for Africa in wide-ranging fields of common interest. Around 100 scholarships for training courses and exchanges of experts have been offered this year in the fields of agriculture, rural development, development of service industries and small and medium enterprises. We remain committed to further expand our cooperative partnership with Africa through various forms of cooperation, including the annual international training courses offered by the Thailand International Development Cooperation Agency.

In the area of health, Thailand has provided technical cooperation to directly help African countries combat the HIV/AIDS and malaria epidemics. Thai experts have transferred technology for the production of medicine and have helped to set up factories to effectively produce the medicine at low cost. Medical personnel and equipment, as well as scholarships for African medical staff, have also been offered. We believe that those efforts are making a noticeable impact. Tanzania now has an affordable anti-malarial drug called Thaitanzunate, as well as an affordable treatment for HIV called TTVIR. These medicines are saving lives and should help more countries to stand on their own feet. The West African region is also benefiting from a similar programme. We hope to see more of that kind of cooperation spreading throughout Africa.

Sharing experiences in avian influenza prevention and control is another field in which Thailand is currently working closely with Africa. Development partners, such as the United Nations Development Programme, are providing essential financial and technical assistance. Thailand is successfully cooperating with our neighbouring countries in setting up an information sharing system to help monitor outbreaks and report them quickly to relevant international organizations. We are prepared to cooperate with all affected countries in sharing our experiences and best practices. Strengthening partnership for cooperation with Africa will always remain an important element of the foreign policy of Thailand.

In the past years, we have witnessed a wide range of assistance and actions undertaken within the multilateral framework. However, the path towards achievement of the Millennium Development Goals for Africa is still long and there are still many obstacles along the way. Sincere and committed international support, particularly steady and predictable financial assistance, remains a priority for the overall development and poverty eradication strategy. Innovative financing for development and capacity-building programmes are essential, in order for Africa to take advantage of globalization and to benefit from the expansion of international trade. Many commitments have been made to Africa and only the implementation of those commitments will finally lead to concrete and long-lasting results for sustainable development in the region.

Mr. Liu Zhenmin (China)

First, the Chinese delegation would like to thank Secretary-General Mr. Kofi Annan for his report on the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) (A/61/212). China associates itself with the statement made by the representative of South Africa on behalf of the Group of 77 and China. This year marks the fifth anniversary of the launching of NEPAD. Over the past five years, African countries have made enormous efforts to implement NEPAD by taking vigorous steps in the areas of infrastructure, information and communication technologies, health, education, environment, agriculture, science and technology, gender mainstreaming and the African Peer Review Mechanism.

We highly appreciate such efforts and are glad to see that the African economy has, in recent years, maintained strong growth momentum and created conditions for poverty eradication and sustainable development. At the same time, the international community has made African development a top priority and has given more aid towards that goal. In order to implement the 2005 World Summit Outcome and the outcome of the recent High-level Meeting, some developed countries have taken practical steps to increase aid and debt relief. South-South cooperation, particularly between African and other developing countries, is expanding. Those are all positive elements that are conducive to African development.

However, as is indicated in the report of the Secretary-General, the main task of the international community is to consolidate that positive momentum and deliver on its commitments. African countries must pursue national development strategies, strengthen coordination among themselves and mobilize all resources to jointly promote the development of Africa. The international community should fulfil its aid commitments to Africa and help and support African countries in their development endeavours. The United Nations should strengthen collaboration and coordination of its support to NEPAD.

The Secretary-General's Advisory Panel on International Support for NEPAD emphasized in its recent report the importance of supervising the implementation of NEPAD. That is an important matter. Bearing in mind the progress made in implementing NEPAD last year and the relevant report under the item, the Chinese delegation wishes to make the following observations. First, the primary feature of NEPAD is that it is managed and owned by African countries. Guided by the needs of African countries, it mobilizes international assistance coordination and support for Africa's development. It is necessary to combine those two elements through regular dialogue.

The reports of the Secretary-General and the Advisory Panel have summarized the efforts of African countries and their work priorities. They have also indicated the insufficiencies of international support.

In terms of funds, in particular, there still exists a very big gap between international support and Africa's actual needs. We believe that comprehensive measures should be adopted to overcome the difficulties caused by the shortage of financial resources. Steps should be taken to ensure that existing funds are used in the most cost-effective way, according to the priorities set by African countries.

Keeping in mind the needs of African countries, we should continue to increase the financial input. In addition to emergency aid, debt relief and technical cooperation, we should provide additional financial assistance to African development. We should act from the long-term perspective and help African countries with capacity-building so that they will attract more foreign direct investment and improve their self-funding ability.

Secondly, NEPAD is pragmatic. One of its priorities is to help African countries integrate into the world economy and to make full use of the opportunities produced by economic globalization. Consequently, the international community needs to adopt a series of measures. Efforts should be made to correct trade distortions and expand African countries' trade opportunities. Countries should make joint efforts to resume the Doha Round at an early date, urge major developed countries to show political will, particularly in reducing agricultural subsidies, and expand market access for exports from African countries, thus bringing tangible benefits in multilateral trade to them.

We should make full use of the current favourable situation of high commodity prices to allow African countries to benefit from their resource advantages, which will improve their economic diversification. Trade assistance should be provided to help African countries to increase their participation in world trade and share in the benefits of economic globalization.

Thirdly, South-South cooperation can help African countries in their development. There are numerous developing countries, and each has its own strength. South-South cooperation, with its historical tradition and new driving force, has huge potential. As a useful addition to North-South cooperation, the potential of South-South cooperation should be fully tapped. On this basis, we will vigorously promote South-South cooperation and do what we can to help implement NEPAD.

Over the past decade, China and Africa have treated each other with sincerity, supported each other, conducted South-South cooperation on the basis of equality and mutual benefit and promoted common economic and social progress. China has vigorously supported African countries in implementing NEPAD. We established relations with its Secretariat right after its founding. The China-Africa Cooperation Forum, established in 2000, shares its goals with NEPAD in promoting mutually beneficial cooperation and common development. The two also have identical development priorities. We have adopted a wide spectrum of measures to help African countries.

Since 2000, the Chinese Government has cancelled 156 debts owed by 31 African countries of the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Debt (HIPC) Initiative group and the least developed countries (LDCs), totalling 10.5 billion yuan.

The Chinese Government has also taken radical steps to give preferential treatment to African countries so as to allow more African products to enter the Chinese market. In 2005, the bilateral trade volume between China and Africa reached $39.746 billion, with a $2.38 billion Chinese deficit.

The Chinese Government also executed 63 aid projects in 48 African countries and regions, sent 54 shipments of goods. This involved a focus on agricultural development, infrastructure, construction, human resource training and medical and health cooperation.

Following the zero-tariff treatment given by China to some imported commodities from 25 LDCs in Africa starting on 1 January of last year. Equatorial Guinea, Angola and Senegal joined the group at the beginning of this year. The Chinese Government encourages Chinese enterprises with the capacity to do so to invest and build factories in Africa. By the end of last year, China's accumulated direct investment in Africa reached $1.18 billion, and more than 800 factories were built there.

Human resource cooperation is a key area of China-Africa cooperation. Last year, China invited 3,066 people from 50 African countries and regional organizations to come to China to receive training in foreign affairs, economics, trade, agriculture, forestry and auditing. China-Africa programmes on environmental protection cooperation and young volunteers have been launched. Currently, about 1,100 students from 46 African countries are in China with scholarships provided by the Chinese Government. At last year's China-Africa Forum meeting of education ministers, China announced a number of new measures, including the provision of training for 1,000 African education officials and teachers every year from 2006 to 2008, and doubling the number of African students enjoying Chinese Government scholarships in the coming five years.

A China-Africa Cooperation Forum summit meeting will be held in Beijing from 3 to 5 November 2006. Chinese and African leaders will focus on the theme of friendship, peace, cooperation and development, and will jointly draw up a blueprint for China-Africa friendly cooperation. I am confident that this will further enhance China's support to NEPAD in various fields.

China is the largest developing country in the world, and Africa is the continent with the largest number of developing countries. Over the past decade, our fate has been interlinked. The Chinese Government will, as always, continue to reinforce its cooperation with Africa and make its due contribution to the revitalization of the African continent.

Mr. Ehouzou (Benin)

Madam President, allow me first of all to say how much the delegation of Benin appreciates the high quality of the information contained in the various reports submitted by the Secretary-General by way of reference documents for our discussion on agenda items 48 and 62(a) and (b).

My delegation associates itself with the statement made yesterday by the Permanent Representative of South Africa, who spoke on behalf of the Group of 77 and China.

Benin welcomes this joint debate on the three items on our agenda, which very clearly confirms the link between peace and development. A very good example was given by the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to Mr. Muhammad Yunus of Bangladesh for his service to the poor through micro-financing.

It is good to note that the international community is not indifferent to the situation in Africa in a political, economic and social context. Africa projects the image of an unpredictable, unstable continent capable of the best, but also of the worst, where a large proportion of people live in the most abject poverty.

When we read the reports of the Secretary-General on the Decade to Roll Back Malaria, on the New Partnership for Africa's Development and on the causes of conflict and the promotion of durable peace and sustainable development in Africa, it emerges that African countries, both individually and collectively, have in recent years undertaken profound institutional reforms in order to create an enabling environment for sustained economic growth and development. At the same time, the social challenges and a certain reluctance to change in other areas jeopardize the achievements made and delay the true development of Africa's peoples.

The development of any country is a long-term process and the development of Africa as a continent cannot be realized overnight. That is why, despite efforts made by the African countries and despite the impressive figures enumerated by donors when they talk about their own assistance, the results achieved do not always live up to the objectives we have set.

Accordingly, we need to fully assess the various challenges that have to be met and propose long-term solutions. One of the first tools to start the development process is definitely good governance, because social inequalities and the absence of democracy lead to social tension and conflicts of interest at the same time as they exacerbate poverty.

In this context, Benin accordingly renews its commitment to democracy, good governance, combating corruption, the rule of law and respect for human dignity and human rights as preconditions for the establishment of an enabling environment for sustainable development. However, we must stress that whatever the progress made nationally in these various sectors and despite the good will of African countries to undertake institutional, political, economic and social reforms, no progress can be achieved if the international environment does not support national efforts and if the opportunities for change at the international level are almost non-existent.

One of the exogenous causes of conflict in Africa is the proliferation and illegal circulation of weapons coming into Africa from external sources. Benin believes that the international community can no longer reasonably continue to turn a deaf ear to the cries of distress of the thousands upon thousands of people -- women and children -- who, from one day to the next, are thrust on the path of exile as soon as tension arises out in Africa.

How can we understand that the young people mentioned in the report of the Secretary-General, who languish in destitution and want only the attention of generous donors to obtain a dollar per day for their survival, are the same people being armed and recruited by supposedly rebel groups or simply by unscrupulous individuals?

Benin believes it indecent to profess a desire for African peace and development, while quickly and surreptitiously fuelling tensions inherent in any society that could have been resolved by peaceful means. Benin firmly believes in the peaceful settlement of conflict, as well as in good neighbourly relations, because development is only possible in a peaceful environment.

Inherent within the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) is the very rebirth of Africa itself. The transparent implementation of the main pillars of this programme, particularly in the area of agriculture, the environment, energy and information and communication technologies, will certainly enable Africa to truly get off the ground. This will provide better prospects to thousands of young Africans who will no longer be into forced exile or compelled to look elsewhere for a better future. It is important, therefore, that the support of the international community for the implementation of NEPAD seeks to carry out programmes, identified within a reasonable time frame, to enable them to have a direct impact on improving the living conditions of Africa's people.

The involvement of the international community must also be more conspicuous through an increase in official development assistance and in foreign direct investments, as well as through strengthened productive capacities in African countries. Efforts should also be continued in terms of good management of the foreign debt, in order to prevent countries that might have benefited from debt cancellation measures from relapsing into the status quo ante.

Benin expresses its appreciation to all of Africa's development partners that have been tirelessly working for the recovery of our continent and agrees that nevertheless a lot remains to be done. It is a daunting challenge and bold action is extremely crucial because of Africa's 34 least developed countries. Benin therefore appeals to the sense of responsibility and solidarity of bilateral and multilateral partners so that together, in a spirit of partnership, the problems being faced by African countries -- one of the most prominent being malaria -- can find solutions that might help break this vicious cycle of poverty and marginalization.

Mr. Arias Cardenas (Venezuela)

The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, which is an increasingly pluralist and diverse country, while at the same time progressively more committed to its historical and cultural roots, has been unswerving in its support for the struggle against hunger and poverty and for development within our country, in brother countries and, in particular, the countries of Africa. Our country has also been unswerving in efforts to urgently establish the necessary conditions for the sustainable development of our peoples.

The Bolivarian Government offers its support and cooperation to achieve the intensification and continuity of all assistance programmes and cooperation activities that are intended to achieve active participation in improving economic and social conditions of the peoples of Africa. This is a fundamental pillar in the consolidation of peace and security in the world.

In its cooperation with Africa, Venezuela is not merely giving what we have in excess. No, we are working with our brothers to achieve joint development. In our Afro-Latin countries, we are aware of an age-old African heritage that comes from our African roots. Venezuela is aware that the active solidarity of our people is a way of working together to make progress.

The United Nations system, we feel, is the ideal way of achieving international support for the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD). Thus, the Government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela has drafted a $3.8 million programme of cooperation with Africa, through the World Food Programme, particularly in regard to food aid intended to benefit the brother countries of Burkina Faso, the Gambia, Mali, Mauritania and Niger. It has also undertaken a $4.3 million programme of emergency assistance grants for the brother countries of Kenya, the Gambia, Western Sahara and Somalia.

We also support the notion that the United Nations programme for Africa should seek to establish a comprehensive framework for support of the African Union Commission, which includes support for the NEPAD programme, that is itself based on the approaches adopted by African Governments, and in this way ensure that they are carried out in keeping with the real priorities of the region.

At present, the future bodes well for those relations and for the South-South cooperation encouraged by our country. The African peoples are very interested in this new kind of relationship among brother countries, which is being promoted in meetings within and outside the United Nations. Our Government, through the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and particularly the Office of the Vice-Minister for Africa, has drafted the Africa Agenda. It sets out a series of diplomatic, cultural, educational, health and cooperation activities and, in particular, expresses the fact that we take great pride in our African heritage.

We are associated with the Venezuelan network of Afro-descendants. In addition, we are implementing the 2001 Durban Declaration on combating all forms of racial discrimination. We are also carrying out the mandate of the Durban Programme of Action by establishing a governmental commission to eliminate racial discrimination within our own country once and for all.

What our countries regard as militant solidarity would be a form of justice achieved through concrete actions on the part of the former colonial countries, which supported their own development by plundering Latin America and Africa.

With regard to cooperation and strengthening South-South relations, the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela has maintained ongoing relations with African countries, increasing its direct diplomatic relations with more than 12 countries and with many other constituencies over the past two years. We have increased the number of our representatives on the continent, and we unambiguously consider the region an ally. During the past year, Venezuela has entered into new agreements with various African countries -- many of which are least developed countries -- promoting economic, social, cultural and energy cooperation, multilateralism and respect for international law.

Mr. Arias Cardenas (Venezuela)

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