ADDRESS BY HER EXCELLENCY MADAM ELLEN JOHNSON SIRLEAF PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF LIBERIA
TO THE 67TH SESSION OF THE UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY
NEW YORK, SEPTEMBER 26TH, 2012
Mr. President;
Mr. Secretary-General;
Excellencies, Heads of State and Government, Heads of Delegations;
Distinguished Delegates;
Ladies and Gentlemen:
I congratulate you, Mr. President, and the people
of Serbia, on your election as President of the 67th Session of the
General Assembly. I assure you of Liberia's fullest cooperation and
support as you carry out the responsibilities entrusted to you in
steering the affairs of this Session.
I wish also to pay tribute to your eminent
predecessor, His Excellency Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser of the State of
Qatar, for his capable stewardship of the affairs of the 66th Session
and the many bold initiatives undertaken in the interest of world peace
during his tenure.
My highest commendation goes to the
Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, who continues to demonstrate sound
leadership in the face of new and complicated challenges. He has begun
his second term with renewed vigor and a clear articulation of the
priorities which encapsulate the major concerns of the international
community.
Mr. President:
The selection of the theme for this Session, which
calls for the "Settlement of disputes by peaceful means," could not have
been more appropriate. When we review the state of the world, we see
an international landscape checkered by armed conflict, economic crises
and environmental degradation. For those who have had the painful
experience of conflict, including my own country, Liberia, this year's
theme becomes very pertinent.
The cost of conflict in lives and infrastructural
destruction makes us doubly appreciative of the value of preventive
action to avert conflict. The need for conflict prevention takes on
added urgency, because most conflicts are internal, engendered by
marginalization, inequity and injustice. It becomes imperative,
therefore, to identify and remove those triggers of conflict before they
explode.
Our Government's efforts to achieve the twin
objectives of conflict prevention and peace consolidation are being
reinforced through our engagement with the peace-keeping and
peace-building architecture of the United Nations. In an environment of
peace, we have prioritized actions aimed at re-establishing the rule of
law by building the capacity of our institutions and processes for
delivery of justice and security. We have formulated a roadmap for
national reconciliation to ensure that peace is sustainable.
Our development partners, including the UN and its
Specialized Agencies, have remained faithful to our national agenda.
They have supported our priority programs for women’s empowerment,
increased agricultural productivity and food security, roads and
infrastructure and jobs creation. All of the UN Agencies must be
capacitated to provide the support to government programs in these
areas. It is particularly critical for the new gender entity, UN Women,
which is the youngest among them and whose viability must be assured.
We have made strong strides in gender equality, but
much more must be done for girls' education and women’s empowerment.
Tremendous progress has been made in health care delivery. We are
particularly pleased by the recent UNICEF report showing a sharp
reduction in the level of child mortality. However, there are still
many challenges to overcome before we can assure universal access to
health care.
Mr. President:
Many developing countries, like Liberia, have
structured their economies around the Millennium Development Goals
(MDGs). While some countries have made considerable progress in reaching
some of these Goals, many others will be unable to achieve them by
2015. There is an emerging consensus that efforts must be accelerated
to achieve maximum progress in the achievement of the MDGs over the next
three years.
I am honored, and humbled, to have been selected by
the Secretary-General as one of the co-Chairs of his High-Level Panel
of Eminent Persons on the Post-2015 Development Agenda. We are mindful
of the difficulty of this responsibility, which requires us to propose a
framework that builds upon, but goes beyond, the MDGs in the
establishment of goals that are ambitious, but achievable. We know that
the results of our work must reflect a broad political consensus of the
public and private sectors and civil society as well. We know that
defined goals should enable all people in all countries to be freed from
the shackles of poverty through development that is sustainable.
Liberia remains fully committed to the ideals and
purposes of the United Nations, and believes that the Organization
should continue to occupy the center of global governance, by leading
efforts to meet our collective challenges to peace, security and
development. To meet this objective, the inter-governmental negotiations
on Security Council reform need to come to an early and logical
conclusion. My Government is encouraged that an increasing number of
Member States support the enlargement of the Council in both the
permanent and non-permanent categories, which would ensure a fairer and
more equitable participation reflective of the world’s demography. In
this regard, Liberia supports the African Common Position, based upon
the “Ezulwini Consensus” as adopted by the African Union. [Applauds]
In the same vein, we must ensure that the General
Assembly is revitalized to fully assume all the responsibilities
entrusted to it in the Charter. After all, it remains the most
representative body of the United Nations.
Mr. President;
Distinguished Delegates:
The high-level Diplomatic Conference on
International Trade in Conventional Weapons, which ended recently in New
York, sought to develop the highest possible international standards
for trade in conventional weapons. However, strong national positions on
this sensitive global issue prevented an agreement on a binding Arms
Trade Treaty. Yet, nations of good will and nations which have
experienced devastation from illicit trading and diversions of
conventional weapons must continue strong advocacy, taking into account
the full range of differences and disagreements. We would thereby
encourage bilateral consensus-building ahead of new rounds of
negotiations. At the same time, we are convinced that the final draft
Arms Trade Treaty text, though imperfect and inconclusive, contains
essential ingredients upon which future negotiations can succeed.
Mr. President:
We express our deep condolence for the death of the
U. S. Ambassador and staff, as well as Libyan nationals, in the attack
on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi. All nations should be concerned about
the spreading of violence in reaction to a film which demonstrates an
unacceptable insensitivity to an Islamic faith. Even in such
circumstances, we must all be mindful that democracy requires freedom –
freedom of ideas, freedom of association, freedom of religion and, more
importantly, freedom of expression. This often results in statements and
actions that may offend. Tolerance, and not violence, is an
appropriate response to prevent further violence. Liberia is a clear
example that, were it not for our tolerance to the new-found freedom of
expression, our country would be back in chaos.
While the majority of our countries are
consolidating economic and social gains underpinned by democratic
processes, regrettably some parts of our sub-region are still dogged by
serious challenges that risk undermining the peace and progress of the
entire region. We in Liberia, like many other countries in the region
and the world at large, were particularly appalled by the
unconstitutional unraveling, of democratic governments in Mali and
Guinea Bissau in the early part of this year; and unequivocally
condemned these attempts to seize power through unconstitutional means.
Accordingly, Liberia endorses the decisions of ECOWAS aimed at the full
restoration of constitutional order in both countries in the shortest
possible time. Liberia enjoins the world community, particularly the
Security Council, to buttress efforts of ECOWAS in restoring peace in
our region, most especially in Mali.
As Chair of the four-nation Mano River Union
comprising Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, and La Cote D'Ivoire, Liberia
has committed itself never to allow an inch of its territory to be used
to destabilize its neighbors. It is in this context that we
categorically condemn all attempts to undermine the peace and democratic
gains in La Cote D'Ivoire and are working closely with the Ivorian
authorities and UN peacekeeping outfits in both Liberia and La Cote
D'Ivoire to protect and consolidate the peace in our two countries. We
call on all countries in our region to work in concert so that
individuals intent on destabilizing some parts of our region are treated
as enemies in all parts of our region.
Mr. President:
We are all part of a rapidly changing world in
which the forces of globalization cannot be reversed. Our farming
systems have to adjust to unusual weather conditions, our habitats have
to relocate from traditional safe areas, our societies have to find
responses to the distractions of the demonstration effect. Developing
countries, like my own, must make globalization work if we are to
achieve our growth targets and lift our people out of poverty. This
means more commitment and effort on our part to create an environment
that ensures economic growth based on mutuality of benefits and
responsibilities.
Liberia, from its founding, is a complex nation,
and the cleavages that led to decades of war still run deep. Our
experience clearly shows that success has its pitfalls. Displaced
citizens returning from refugee camps in the sub-region, and deportees
from around the world swell the ranks of the desperate unemployed,
thereby intensifying our vulnerability. Communities long deprived of
basic services demand instant attention to their individual needs,
thereby straining our capacity. Civil servants lacking a decent living
wage for two decades rightfully clamor for more, thereby undermining the
budgetary processes.
As Liberia moves forward into its tenth year of
sustained peace, we can state with conviction that our country has
turned the corner. Liberia is no longer a place of conflict, war and
deprivation. We are no longer the country our citizens fled, our
international partners pitied and our neighbors feared. Our
stabilization efforts, over the past six years, have resulted in average
annual growth of over 6 percent.
Revenue has more than quintupled; direct foreign
investment of over US$16 billion mobilized; an expanded fiscal space
through unprecedented debt cancellation, infrastructure reconstruction
and institutional rebuilding. More importantly, we have earned our
rightful place as a country of hope and opportunity. The processes of
change which have started will continue and will not stop until the
country is placed on an irreversible path of sustained peace, growth and
development. Our Vision 2030, resulting from a robust nationwide
consultation, is a long-term program for transformation which
prioritizes youth development, infrastructure, reconciliation and
capacity development.
Yet our Government is keenly aware of the
challenges to be faced over the next three years. United Nations
peacekeeping forces are gradually being withdrawn from Liberia. In our
discussions with various UN teams coming to Liberia – the Technical
Assessment Mission in March, and the Security Council delegation in May –
we have emphasized the need for a responsible transition, through a
gradual process, occurring over a period of 3-5 years. We also seek the
alignment of transitional activities with our budget cycle, reflecting
Government priorities.
We wish to express appreciation to the United
Nations, which has been a very committed and effective partner. We owe
the Organization much gratitude for preserving an enabling environment
for peace-building and state-building.
In closing, Mr. President, I wish to note that
today, for the first time in two generations, Liberia has a second
successive democratic government elected by the will of the people.
Despite the distractions, local and external, our people are determined
to take their destiny into their own hands, determined that our
ambitious goal of making Liberia a middle-income country by the year
2030 will be achieved.
I thank you.
