NIGERIA, AFRICA AND THE WORLD

IN THE NEXT MILLENNIUM

Statement by

HIS EXCELLENCY PRESIDENT OLUSEGUN OBASANJO

President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria

At the General Debate

of the 54th Session of the United Nations

General Assembly

New York, September 23, 1999

Mr. President,

A little over two decades ago, I addressed this august Assembly as Head of a Military Government in Nigeria. On that occasion, the central focus of my statement was the urgent need to terminate colonial rule in Namibia, and dismantle the racist regime in Apartheid South Africa. Today, it is a great source of joy for me personally, and my delegation that a distinguished son of Namibia and a brother in the struggle, is presiding over the affairs of the 54^th session of the General Assembly. On behalf of the Nigerian Government and people, I bring to you warm greetings and congratulations on your well-deserved election as the President of this Assembly which is the last session for this century. The fraternal relations and friendship existing between the Federal Republic of Nigeria and your country, Namibia, are long-standing and very cordial. My delegation therefore assures you of its full cooperation and unwavering support throughout your tenure.

May I also convey, through you, Mr. President, our deep appreciation to your distinguished predecessor, His Excellency Mr. Didier Opertti of Uruguay, for the able and efficient manner with which he conducted the proceedings of the 53^rd session. Our appreciation also goes to the Secretary General, H.E. Mr. Kofi Annan, for his visionary leadership and the invaluable work of the Secretariat under his stewardship.

Permit me also to warmly welcome, on behalf of my country and Delegation, the Kingdom of Tonga, which has just joined this family of nations as the 188^th member.

Mr. President,

I stand before this Assembly today very proud to represent a democratic Nigeria after the successful transition from military dictatorship to a civilian government. This situation could not have been achieved without the support of the international community. I would therefore like to seize this opportunity to convey to this gathering the profound appreciation of all Nigerians, at home and abroad, for the international support and encouragement which combined so effectively with the relentless determination and aspirations of Nigerians to bring about the much-awaited peaceful political transformation and democratic governance in my country.

Since assuming office on May 29, 1999, my Administration has put in place measures and institutional framework for the purpose of reconciling competing interests and groups in the society. Politically, all the institutions of democratic governance, from local to national levels, are now operating effectively within the check-and-balance mechanisms inherent in a democratic system. Moreover, the Government has moved away from the notion of "winner-takes-all" to a participatory democracy by forming a government that cuts across political party lines.

My government has also introduced measures to re-vitalise the economy in order to create an enabling environment to encourage investment. It has put in place a functional and favourable legal framework to protect foreign investors and their ability to repatriate their profit. Other measures put in place include a vigorous anti-corruption campaign, the promotion of public accountability, and the abolition of decrees and regulations which had hindered inflows of foreign investment as well as the generation of opportunities for employment and income savings for domestic investment. Furthermore, plans are under way to privatise state enterprises and, in particular, some of the public utilities such as electricity and telecommunications.

On the social front, my government has established a special Panel to investigate past human rights violations with a view to promoting and protecting fundamental freedom in the society. Furthermore, the law enforcement agencies are being reinforced to promote peace and safety, as well as maintain law and order. The task before us is indeed enormous, but we are determined as a nation to face the challenges for the good of the country and our people.

PEACE, SECURITY AND STABILITY IN AFRICA

Mr. President,

The Agenda of African Diplomacy, which had primarily focused on decolonisation, and the struggle against Apartheid has now shifted to more contemporary problems of our times namely, poverty, demographic explosion, hunger, famine, debt over-hang, low growth rates and the absence of sustainable human development on the continent. As a result, African leaders at their Summit held two months ago in Algiers had cause to ponder over these problems. The Summit decided, inter alia that the year 2000 be designated the year of Peace, Security and Stability in Africa. My colleagues and I also collectively decided that democratic governance must be entrenched in our respective countries and that any Member State in which the fundamental rights of its peoples are deliberately violated as state policy and where government is changed through military force, must not be allowed to remain in our midst. This is a commitment that we collectively share to give our forum and ourselves ethical standards and decorum as well as respectability as we face the challenges of the millenium.

Mr. President, African leaders in Algiers came to these conclusions in full realisation that with the end of the Cold War, the process of democratisation in Africa, the developing world and elsewhere has become irresistible. Unfortunately, the positive change from autocratic to democratic rule has not brought with it the much-vaunted prosperity and expected dividend. I dare say, therefore, that democracy stands threatened if its fledging structures are not supported and nurtured, from both within and externally. This is why the international community and particularly the multilateral financial institutions should lend their support to this noble cause. Just as the absence of democracy and gross violations of human rights attract sanctions, good governance should also be rewarded through improved standard of living of the citizenry. Accordingly, we urge that our deliberations should seek concrete ways and measures of encouraging the sustenance of democratic governance not only in Africa but also throughout the world.

GLOBALISATION AND AFRICA

Mr. President,

As we approach the dawn of a new millenium, the defining feature of our increasingly interdependent world is the accelerated globalisation and liberalisation of production, trade, investment and finance. While the twin forces of globalisation and liberalisation were recognised, at their debuts, to offer new opportunities and challenges, they were generally assumed to hold a promise of faster economic growth, greater employment opportunities and the alleviation of poverty, particularly in the developing countries. The popular belief was that a globalised economy, propelled by advances in science and technology and the liberalisation of markets, finance and industry would create conditions in which all countries and all social groups within their would benefit. But it is a disturbing trend that globalisation, in its various manifestations, is already engendering a troubled relationship with development. While the process has so far failed to spur economic recovery, faster growth, greater employment opportunities and poverty alleviation in developing countries, it is also accentuating the income gap between the rich and poor countries.

In the quest for a better management of a globalised world economy, it is incumbent on us to direct our search light on the unsatisfactory evolution of the multilateral trading system. The developing countries participated with enthusiasm and high expectations in the historic Uruguay Round of Multilateral Trade Negotiations that ushered in the new rules-based multilateral trading system (MTS) and the birth of the World Trade Organisation (WTO). They had hoped that the new trading regime would enhance their trade fortunes and facilitate effective integration into the world economy, and arrest their marginalisation from global trading system. In assuming commitments under the various Uruguay Round Agreements (URAs) our countries reaffirmed the primacy of a transparent, fair and equitable rules-based multilateral trading system, in recognition of the vital role of international trade in the process of economic development.

But unfortunately, the vast majority of developing countries, particularly in Africa, have so far been unable to reap the benefits arising from their membership of the WTO. The imbalance between rights and obligations of membership is reflected in the failure of the major trading nations to faithfully implement the development dimensions of the various WTO Agreements. Africa's trade prospects continue to be hampered by the non-implementation of the special and differential measures in favour of developing countries and the increasing protectionist measures on their export products. Besides, the paucity of technical and financial assistance that would have enabled us take advantage of the limited market access opportunities that exist, continue to deepen Africa's marginalisation in the globalised world economy. Regrettably, the major trading nations are bent on advancing the process of globalisation and liberalisation by introducing, on the global trade agenda, new issues with additional obligations for developing countries.

Mr. President,

It is sad to note that Africa, the least developed of all the regions and the least able to cope with external shocks, has been the principal victim of the dark side of globalisation and liberalisation of the world economy. The continent’s continuing marginalisation is increasingly defined by its low level of exports and decreasing share in world trade during the past four decades. The consequence has been import compression, weak productivity and low output. Similarly, Africa’s share in the manufacturing value added has fallen to an all time low. Its share in total foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows to development countries, for instance, dropped significantly to less 5% in the second half of the 1990s, and a meagre 1.2% of world FDI flows in 1997. This trend has continued despite the efforts of African countries to implement far-reaching economic reforms and maintain macro-economic stability, particularly the introduction of a more open and business-friendly investment regime and the provision of incentives to attract foreign investment.

Agricultural performance and commodity export, upon which the African economy’s overall growth depends, have even faired worse. The traditional internal structural difficulties, aggravated by external systemic constraints have rendered African agriculture unable to respond to the opportunities presented by globalisation and liberalisation. As a result, low agricultural productivity and competitiveness, and the dramatic collapse of commodity prices continue to dim the prospects of agriculture as a pillar of Africa’s efforts at poverty alleviation and sustainable development.

Mr. President,

The foregoing iis the sordid reality of African countries as the world globalises into the new millennium. While we recognise that globalisation is an over-arching reality of the new age, we cannot afford to resign ourselves passively to its adverse consequences. The challenges before us to agree on collective measures and actions for the management of the twin processes of globalisation and liberalisation, with a view of maximising their benefits and minimising their adverse consequences. The commitment to urgent action would ensure the management of globalisation in an all-inclusive and all-benefiting manner. It is against this background that my country looks forward to the 3^rd WTO Ministerial Conference, UNCTAD X and the new millennium round of trade negotiations to right the wrong, and to fully integrate the development countries into the multilateral trading system.

Mr. President,

On the issue of the environment, my Government has taken major steps to address various environment problems in our country, consistent with our national policy on the environment. In the early stages of my administration, a Ministry of Environment was created to focus attention on all areas related to the environment as envisioned ion Agenda 21 – the programme of Action adopted in 1992 by the United Nations conference on Environment and Development (UNCED).

Under Nigeria’s National Master-Plan for the Implementation of Agenda 21 specific policies and programmes on environment protection and management has been put in place including reforestation, control of oil spillage, marine pollution and erosion. Presently, a Bill on comprehensive measure for ecological rehabilitation and provision of infrastrutural facilitates in the Niger Delta is before our National Assembly. Also, a National Action Programme to combat drought and desertififcation has been put in place, all in the effort to give environment issues a central focus in our national agenda for development.

Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament

Mr. President,

As we enter the next millennium, the question of nuclear arms race and the proliferation of nuclear weapon remain one of the serious problems of our time. The threat of use, or use of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction continue to pose serious threat to International peace and security. Advancement in science and technology for armaments and new weapon systems in the arsenals of nuclear weapon states outpace the slow process of disarmament negotiations. Unfortunately, the victims of these scenarios are the nuclear have-nots that continue to suffer deprivations of funds for development.

My country has a long history of committed advocacy of the developing countries against nuclear weapons. We were one of the early opponents of nuclear tests conducted in Africa in the early sixties and within the framework of the OAU and the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM). We continue to give our unflinching support to efforts aimed at de-nuclearising the world. Our ratification of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC), the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) and the signing of the African Nuclear Weapons Free Zone aptly testifies to our abiding commitment to building a nuclear weapons-free world. Nigeria also reaffirms her full commitment to nuclear disarmament, and urge nuclear weapon states to demonstrate political will to conclude negotiations that would bring about legally binding instruments to eliminate nuclear weapons from the fact of the earth.

CONFLICT RESOLUTION AND PEACEKEEPING

Mr. President,

my delegation has always believed that the threat to international peace and security from any corner of the globe should be considered a threat to peace and security of the world as a whole. While the maintenance of International peace and security remains the primary responsibility of the Security Council, the Charter provision for the complementary role of regional and sub-regional groups has also proved to be critical to the maintenance of peace at the regional and global levels. The establishment of ECOWAS Monitoring Group (ECOMOG) is a clear testimony of our commitment to sub-regional peace. As the records show, ECOMOG has succeeded in putting an end to the Liberian war in 1997, re-instating the democratically elected President of Sierra Leone in 1998, and also bringing about the current peace agreement signed in Lome, Togo in July 1999.

Mr. President, as part of the Peace effort in our sub-region, it is also pertinent to mention the historic landmark in the destruction of conventional weapons de-commissioned from the Liberian civil war in Monrovia on 26^th July 1999. That unique event was witnessed by a number of Heads of State, including myself, and the Special Representative of the UN Secretary General. That singular action constituted a measure of the genuine desire of all sides to the conflict to bury the hatchet and work for permanent peace which has eluded the country for so long. It is hoped that this symbolic gesture will have some spiraling effects on other countries engaged in similar armed conflicts, especially neighbouring Sierra Leone, which has also recently chosen the path of peace.

We all have a clear responsibility as we move into the next millennium, to work harder for International peace and security, so that, collectively, we can achieve a world not only free from nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction but also free from global conflicts and instability. The time has come for the Security Council to assume its full responsibility, specifically in Sierra Leone and other flash points of conflicts in Africa. For too long, the burden of preserving international peace and security in West Africa has been left almost entirely on the shoulders of a few States in our sub-region. The United nation needs to do more in providing logistics and financial support to assist regional peace-keeping and peace-building efforts as well as the welfare of Refugees.

REFORM OF THE SECURITY COUNCIL

Mr. President,

My delegation believes that it has never been the precepts of the United Nations Organisation to prescribe Democracy and Change to its members and yet makes little or no progress in the democratization of its own organ such as the Security Council. It is in this regard that my delegation would urge the General Assembly, during this Session, to agree to conclude the modalities for the implementation of the United Nations Reforms especially with regards to the Reform and expansion of the Security Council during the Millennium Assembly next year – and not later. It is a matter of regret after six consecutive sessions of the General Assembly, the Working Group on the Reform and Expansion of the security council could not make any substantive recommendation for a decision by this 54^th Session on this critical issue.

How can the United Nations continue to perpetuate and justify a situation whereby Africa is the only continent without a permanent seat in the Security Council? In order to promote reform and democratization of the Security Council, Africa, with 53 Member states, should be allocated at least two permanent seats, commensurate not only with the continent’s size but its track record of contributing to the maintenance of international peace and security. The slow progress in concluding this critical subject is of serious concern to the overwhelming majority of members of this Assembly who would want the matter concluded very soon.

HUMAN RIGTHS AND FUNDAMENTAL FREEDOMS

Mr. President,

Please allow me to touch on the issue of human rights and fundamental freedoms, which have been at the heart of conflicts and instability especially in Africa.

As we approach the end of the millenium, it is appropriate to take stock of our performance in the human rights field and map out strategies for the future. It also appropriate to bring home to ourselves the truth that the century has been that of great paradox. While the century has witnessed the worst in human rights violations in some countries, it is also recorded striking advancement in science and technology in others. In the latter part of this century, the world has witnessed the establishment of several human rights standards and laws through which humanity sets to achieve basic freedoms. Yet at least twice in the last two decades of this century, we have witnessed genocide and horrendous abuses and crimes against humanity. Indeed, human rights abuses caused by discrimination, denial of human rights and intolerance often result in ethnic clashes and civil wars, which have been ferociously prosecuted, with negative consequences for civil societies. In actual fact posterity will judge whether there has not been more wars now than ever before in the history of mankind.

The concept of human rights is all encompassing. We cannot separate the generic terms of justice, from those of freedom, democracy, human rights, and development. They are all mutually re-enforcing. The promotion of human rights is therefore an investment, and an insurance of global peace and security.

Permit me to say, Mr. President, that there exists a symbolic relationship between democracy, human rights and development; Democracy cannot prosper in conditions of anarchy. Yet, the promotion of democracy will serve as the engine of development in an environment of human right, where the individual, as the focal point, will exercise his basic freedom to realise his full potentials. Indeed, sustainable socio-economic development and social justice are only achievable with democracy and the protection of, and enjoyment of human rights under the rule of law. The respect of human rights imposes the duty to put in place a system which is capable of limiting arbitrariness and impunity often times exhibiting by those who govern or wield power I absolute terms. Justice is inherent in human rights, and human rights must rest on justice.

WOMEN IN DEVELOPMENT AND RIGHTS OF THE CHILD

Mr. President,

The fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, China in 1993 has increased the global awareness on the issue of Women in Development. Since that historic conference, Women advancement has assumed greater significance on the agenda of the United Nations. My administration is deeply committed to the advancement of Nigerian Women and the full implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. To this end, we have added the Ministry of Women Affairs, issues relating to Youth Development, in order to better co-ordinate and intensify activities and programmes that would enhance the active involvement of Nigerian Women, Youths and the family in National development.

Through the unrelenting effort of the Ministry of Women Affairs and Youth Development, remarkable achievements have been recorded in the implementation of Women, Youth and Children Programme I Nigeria. To stem poverty and socio-economic deprivations at the grassroots, we have created a Family Economic Advancement Programme (FEAP), a poverty alleviation agency which provides resources for the establishment of cottage industries for the Women. We have also embarked on massive public enlightenment campaign to popularize the principles and objectives of the Beijing Declaration and platform for Action.

In furtherance of our resolve to promote the right of the child, statutes such as the Constitution and the Social Development Policy are being employed to achieve the objectives of the convention on the rights of the child. We are convinced that investment on Women, Youths and even the aged in our society constitutes a worthwhile venture that would continue to attract our attention as we approach the next millenium. However, as we make concerted efforts to grapple with the challenges of socio-economic development, poverty and disease particularly the AIDS epidemic which has become a development issue in Africa, I appeal to the International Community to lend their full support to the efforts of the developing countries especially in Africa to eradicate this scourge.

In conclusion, Mr. President as this is the last session before the Millenium Assembly, there is need for stock-taking and proper assessment of the implementation of previous resolutions emanating especially from the major World Summits and Conferences which took place this decade. Such an effort would bring us closer to the realization of the purposes and objectives of our organization. In this regard, I pledge Nigeria’s continued contributions and positive commitment to the ideals of the charter of the United Nations.

I thank you for listening.