Security Council meeting 4460-Resu.2

The President

The next speaker is the representative of Ghana. I invite him to take a seat at the Council table and to make his statement.

Mr. Effah-Apenteng (Ghana)

Mr. President, my delegation appreciates the opportunity to participate in this debate and wishes to congratulate your country on the success with which it has presided over the affairs of the Council this month. We also congratulate you on your initiative in ensuring that Africa remains a priority issue on the Council's agenda.

Over the past two years, the Council's work programme has covered various issues affecting Africa; these must continue to engage the Council's attention if this organ is effectively and efficiently to discharge its Charter responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security. Ghana therefore commends the Council thus far, particularly those members who have used their presidencies to focus on African issues. We are heartened by the decision of the United Kingdom, announced yesterday by Baroness Amos, to devote its next presidency, in July, to giving a further African focus to the Council's work.

The continued crises in many parts of Africa constitute an eloquent pointer to the need for a more comprehensive and integrated approach in dealing with the multifaceted problems of the continent. In that regard, my delegation welcomes the comments made by the Deputy Secretary-General, who highlighted the challenges confronting the continent and the role the international community must continue to play to help in addressing them.

We warmly welcome the presence in the Council Chamber of the new Secretary-General of the Organization of African Unity (OAU), Mr. Amara Essy, and of a number of African Foreign Ministers. We believe that their contributions too have set the tone for this debate.

No region is immune to conflict, and Africa is no exception. For, so long as societies evolve and experience changes, tensions in communities and in States will be a natural consequence. The ability to deal with such trends promptly and resolutely, in such a manner that they do not obstruct societal development, is what is critical. Africa's vulnerability, in our view, stems primarily from institutional weaknesses in its economic and political systems that hinder the ability of many African countries to foresee, forestall or manage tensions or conflicts when they occur. Nor, given the same constraints, are the necessary lessons learned to prevent the re-emergence of such conflicts.

The situation in Africa is not wholly gloomy. Of late there have been positive developments in conflict areas such as Sierra Leone, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Burundi. African countries have recognized that Africa ultimately has to pull itself up by its own bootstraps, and many are the African States whose leaders, through genuine commitment to the establishment of democratic pluralism, including good governance and respect for fundamental human rights and the rule of law, are gradually putting in place policies that will bring about stability, transparency, accountability and ultimately peace and security. Given the nexus among peace, security and development, many African countries have also painfully implemented market-oriented policies, including the liberalization and privatization of their economies.

My own country, Ghana, has implemented economic reforms for more than a decade. Recently we successfully conducted elections at the highest level and managed a smooth handover of the reins of government from one party to another in an atmosphere of peace and calm. Strenuous efforts are still under way under the new Government's "golden age of business" policy to ensure the full participation of the private sector in national economic management, a sine qua non for rapid development.

However, we should be frank and admit that, regrettably, many intra-State conflicts are still raging in Africa. Moreover, after years of painful economic reforms, only a few African countries have found in the post-liberalization period the expected sustained growth path. Consequently, our Governments do not have at their disposal sufficient resources to fund crucial social programmes, such as those in the spheres of health and education, which are deemed fundamental to any committed effort to tackle the pervasive problem of poverty, which is one of the many causes of conflict in the region. Our problems have been compounded by the scourge of HIV/AIDS and other endemic diseases such as tuberculosis and malaria.

But we should also be realistic in recognizing that programmes for development in Africa are also affected by a number of external factors. These include non-remunerative prices for our export products, unfavourable terms of trade, the debt overhang and lack of access to the markets of the developed countries in an era of plummeting official development assistance.

Of particular concern to the international community, and indeed to the Council, have been conflicts fuelled by the easy availability of arms, which are often procured by non-State actors with the connivance of some Governments. Such conventional weapons have tended to exacerbate tensions unnecessarily and to prolong them, despite efforts to manage and resolve them. The Council itself held an open debate on that issue, in the wake of the United Nations Conference on the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects, to consider its role in the process. We look forward to further action on the matter, given its importance, particularly to Africa.

We feel that the international community must remain engaged in the important process of preventing and settling conflicts, as well as maintaining peace in Africa. The Security Council could spearhead such efforts, demonstrating the same urgency with which it deals with other priority issues.

In this regard, the Council should be guided by the Secretary-General's report, issued in 1998, on the causes of conflict and the promotion of durable peace and sustainable development in Africa. The Open-ended Ad Hoc Working Group on the Causes of Conflict and the Promotion of Durable Peace and Sustainable Development in Africa, established to monitor the implementation of the recommendations of the Secretary-General's report, has already made some useful suggestions that, if carefully considered and implemented, would go a long way towards addressing the situation in Africa. The Security Council could complement the efforts of the General Assembly by galvanizing support for the implementation of the Secretary-General's recommendations.

The current efforts in Africa to address issues of governance, conflict prevention, peace and security through the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) offer a common platform for the Security Council's actions and approaches. That platform, based on a comprehensive treatment of the inter-linkages between peace and development and a recognition of Africa's primary role in its own development, also reinforces the coherence in and coordination of the roles of the organs of the United Nations, including at the Secretariat level. We urge the Council to cooperate closely with the relevant bodies of NEPAD and the Organization of African Unity (OAU) in order to increase the effectiveness and impact of United Nations support and its role in Africa.

On conflict prevention, management and resolution in general, we wish to state that we have observed that the Security Council is increasingly desirous, if not anxious, to pull out of conflict areas, especially in Africa, before situations actually stabilize, thereby endangering the whole peace process. There could hardly be a greater demonstration of the Council's commitment than remaining fully engaged in all aspects of the process, especially in the post-conflict period -- albeit on a much reduced scale -- until durable peace is attained.

The international community has long recognized the cardinal importance of disarmament, demobilization and reintegration in conflict resolution and peace-building. We share the view, however, that when it comes to the reintegration of ex-combatants, very often adequate resources are not provided, which may lead to a slide back into conflict. Here again, the Council should explore avenues for resource mobilization beyond voluntary pledges, whose discharge often lags far behind the needs of the programme on the implementation of disarmament, demobilization and reintegration.

We further wish to suggest that the Council continue to explore ways and means of using creative mechanisms like the appointment of special envoys and the sending of Security Council missions to conflict areas. It may be prudent for the Council to consider using some of these mechanisms in pre-emptive and proactive ways, before conflicts actually boil over.

A number of African countries have the political will to participate in peacekeeping operations but lack the capacity to do so. The Security Council may therefore wish to consider how to help such countries to build their capacity in this field so as to enable more African countries to participate in peacekeeping activities on the continent and elsewhere.

While we recognize the need for sanctions, and would like to see the strengthening of arms embargoes in some cases, the Security Council should ensure that innocent civilians and third-party States are not unduly affected. We would therefore urge the Council to consider the imposition of "smart sanctions", as recommended by its own Committee on this issue.

We appreciate the importance of cooperation between the United Nations and the Organization of African Unity on regional conflict prevention, since the latter has in place a Mechanism for Conflict Prevention, Management and Resolution. We wish to appeal to the Security Council to continue to assist the OAU in its capacity-building so as to enable it play the role envisaged for it.

We would like to see more resolve in cooperation between the OAU and the United Nations. Now that the OAU is being transformed into the African Union, there may be some lessons to be learned from the institutional reform process of the United Nations itself and of other similar organizations, so that this relationship can be enhanced. In this regard, we note the presence of Mr. Javier Solana, the High Representative of the European Council, whose participation symbolizes the European Union's firm ties with Africa. Given the historical links between Africa and Europe, we hope that the infant African Union will also be able to benefit from the experiences of the European Union.

The relevance of subregional organizations in dealing with conflicts, both within and among States, especially in Africa, has been recognized, given their proximity to conflict areas and their usefulness in consolidating overall efforts at conflict resolution in a particular region. The positive roles that have been played by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the Southern African Development Community, in particular, are well known. The Council must consider how it can contribute to strengthening the capacity of these subregional bodies so as to enable them to discharge their responsibilities more effectively in conflict areas.

In this connection, we welcome the decision to establish a United Nations Office for West Africa and look forward to the early appointment of a special representative of the Secretary-General to coordinate United Nations efforts aimed at conflict prevention and post-conflict peace-building. We recognize that this step acknowledges the relevance of a comprehensive approach that addresses the root causes of conflict and potential conflict, including political, economic and social factors. Ghana expects the special representative of the Secretary-General for West Africa to work in close cooperation and harmony with the leaders of the subregion, particularly the Executive Secretary of ECOWAS. The success of that subregional office would have useful lessons for other regions in Africa and beyond.

Finally, we believe that the time has come for the Security Council -- after devoting about 60 per cent of its work to African issues over the past two years -- to translate its ideas and decisions into reality and match its words with deeds. To this end, we urge the Council, drawing on its own best practices, to consider the setting up of a mechanism that will help it to coordinate and assist in the expeditious implementation of all programmes and decisions relating to Africa.

The President

Before giving the floor to the next speaker, may I reiterate my appeal of yesterday for speakers to limit the duration of their statements as much as possible. At 5.30 p.m. we will be holding consultations on the Middle East, and I hope to complete the list of speakers before then.

The next speaker inscribed on my list is the representative of Jamaica. I invite her to take a seat at the Council table and to make her statement.

Miss Durrant (Jamaica)

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