DSG/SM/9/Rev.1*
AFR/71/Rev.1*

DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL EMPHASIZES IMPORTANCE OF COOPERATION BETWEEN UNITED NATIONS AND ORGANIZATION OF AFRICAN UNITY

Following is the text of the statement by Deputy Secretary-General Louise Fr�chette at the twenty-fourth Conference of the heads of State and government of the Organization of African Unity (OAU), in Ouagadougou today:

Allow me first to tell you how pleased and honoured I am to participate in this important Summit, which is taking place at a decisive moment for the whole of the African continent.

Much to his regret, and for reasons beyond his control connected with the special session of the General Assembly of the United Nations on drug control, held at New York from 8 to 10 June, the Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi Annan, is unable to attend these meetings of the OAU Summit. His regret is all the more since, as the report on Africa which he recently submitted to the Security Council shows, the stability and prosperity of the African continent are a matter of ongoing concern to him.

I should first of all like to express my profound gratitude to the Head of State, President Blaise Compaor�, and to the Government and people of Burkina Faso, for the warm hospitality which they have shown us.

As you know, in his report on Africa the Secretary-General offers an analysis of the causes of the conflicts that are tearing apart some countries in Africa, as well as ways of promoting peace and sustainable development throughout the continent.

It is the "development" aspect of this report that I should particularly like to refer to this morning. I do so for two reasons: first, because development forms the essence of this continent's concerns, and secondly, because development is a priority matter for the position which I occupy, in accordance with the directives of the General Assembly.

* Reissued to incorporate the translation of the French part of the text.

Vast and varied, the African continent encompasses a wide diversity of historical, geographical, political and cultural situations. It therefore seems important to me that efforts should be made to ensure that Africa is viewed in the context of that rich diversity and not simply through the distorting prism of political crises, armed conflicts, refugee flows and endemic diseases.

Many African countries have re-embarked on economic growth, although significant gaps remain between different countries and regions. The adverse trends of the 1980s have been reversed: for several years now, over half the African countries have recorded enviable growth rates. Better still, in the last three years, the gross domestic product of the continent as a whole has grown faster than its population.

These successes can be attributed largely to the courageous reforms which you have implemented with a view to putting national economies back on an even keel and enabling the private sector to play a more active role in economic life.

Such progress is encouraging, as it presages the emergence, in the four corners of the continent, of real development poles which could, through a ripple effect, stimulate the economies of neighbouring countries. This ripple effect would be further reinforced in the framework of well-designed regional cooperation. At a time when large regional groups have come into their own throughout the world, Africa cannot play its role to the full unless it strengthens its economic integration. In that respect, the efforts under way aimed at enhancing regional cooperation and integration should be commended.

In his report on Africa, the Secretary-General expressed the need to promote greater awareness among foreign investors of the investment opportunities on the continent, particularly in the framework of the large regional groups, as envisaged in the Abuja Treaty.

Despite the progress I have mentioned, however, almost half of the inhabitants of the continent, mostly women and children, still live in utter destitution. Moreover, endemic poverty is further exacerbated by mass population exoduses. The fight against poverty must be an essential priority. We are delighted that the great majority of African countries have already adopted national policies and strategies in that regard, in accordance with the recommendations of the Copenhagen Summit. Together with your Governments and in partnership with the OAU Secretariat, the United Nations will continue to pursue this important objective.

Where the integration of Africa and Africans into the global economy of the twenty-first century is concerned, the coming years will be decisive: the globalization of the economy, with all the risks and new possibilities which that entails, is steadily accelerating. In that connection, we must ensure at all costs that Africa does not miss the boat of globalization, and that progress does not simply pass it by. That would be unacceptable to the peoples of Africa and prejudicial in the long run to the economy and to monetary stability.

The struggle for development and economic growth is hard and complex. It must be conducted simultaneously on all fronts: international, regional, subregional, national and local. If we want to be successful, we must act as true partners, and all strive for the same goal. Success depends on the consistency and coherence of our endeavours.

In this partnership for the development of Africa, it is clear that it is the Africans who must show the way and define their own strategies. Nevertheless, there should be no doubt that the contribution made to international cooperation by bilateral and multilateral partners is essential.

In view of the extraordinary increase over the past few decades in the flow of private capital to developing countries, one school of thought has tended to minimize the importance of official development assistance, overlooking the fact that many developing countries, in particular those in Africa, are not currently in a position to take full advantage of the undeniable benefits that can be brought by the liberalization of world trade and private investment.

It must be said loud and clear: official development assistance remains crucially important to development and the alleviation of poverty! For many African countries, official development assistance is an essential means of upgrading human resources and strengthening the institutions and infrastructure that are necessary if these countries are to participate in the global economy.

This is why the Secretary-General has issued an urgent appeal to donor countries to reverse the negative trend that has been apparent in recent years and increase forthwith the amounts they allocate to official development assistance. In this context, he has recommended that assistance should increasingly be directed towards the priority sectors of health, education and infrastructure, particularly in rural areas.

The Secretary-General has also called for the adoption of energetic measures to reduce the debt burden that is crippling so many African countries. He has recommended, in particular, that creditor countries should agree to forgive all bilateral aid debt contracted by the poorest countries. He further advocates that conditions for access to the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative should be relaxed in order to permit a larger number of countries to benefit from it.

These recommendations were made directly to the G8 Heads of State and Government immediately prior to the Birmingham Summit. The conclusions concerning African debt reached at the Summit give us hope that further progress will be made, and we are very happy about that.

Lastly, the Secretary-General has insisted on the need for African products to be given improved access to external markets, in particular those of their partners in development.

Development cannot be reduced to a simple question of economic growth: it also involves social justice, good governance and respect for human rights. It calls for investment to be made not only in physical infrastructure, but also in human resources, and necessitates energetic action with regard to health and education, and affirmative policies designed to promote equality between men and women.

Permit me to mention in passing the excellent conference on the role of women in the development process which was organized a few weeks ago by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa on the occasion of its 40th anniversary.

Educating girls and women and giving them access to the micro-credit programmes which are now recognized as being so effective, and affording them the means of making better provision for their own needs and those of their families, of participating in the decisions that concern them, will everywhere give substantial impetus to economic and social progress.

It is evident that steady and equitable development can help foster a climate of peace and stability. But it is equally true that there can be no sustainable development in an environment of conflict and violence.

The recent eruption of border conflict between Ethiopia and Eritrea has become a matter of grave concern. The Secretary-General has repeatedly called for maximun restraint between the two neighbouring States. He continues to closely follow the crisis with the leaders of the two countries and the parties engaged in mediation efforts, including the OAU, in order to help settle the dispute through peaceful means. It is our hope that your present Summit will also contribute to facilitate a speedy and peaceful solution to the crisis, which also carries serious implications for the stability of the region.

The delay in implementing the arrangements for resolving some of the long-standing conflicts in Africa also continues to be of serious concern. We wish to seize this opportunity to once again urge all those engaged in peace processes to redouble their efforts and live up to their commitments.

The Secretary-General's report contains several recommendations on ways to enhance our collective capacity to prevent future conflict of the kind that have caused, and still cause, African people so much suffering.

Allow me to dwell on one aspect in particular: that of disarmament. Weapons in themselves do not cause wars. But an excess of arms breeds the suspicion and mistrust that can heighten tension and lead to violent conflict.

The United Nations, therefore, applauds the signing of the Pelindaba Treaty, establishing a nuclear-weapon-free zone in Africa, as a great achievement in the field of disarmament. All the more so as recent events in Asia have suddenly revived the spectre of nuclear terror.

By the same token, I would like to welcome and support, as the Secretary-General has done on numerous occasions, the excellent initiative undertaken by Mali to propose a subregional moratorium on the trade in small arms. It goes without saying that this initiative, which was initially based on a Secretary-General report and now endorsed by the member States of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), is of the highest relevance to preventive diplomacy. I am pleased to learn that your Council of Ministers adopted last night a resolution on this issue of a moratorium on small arms.

Africa's nations could further reduce the risk of armed conflict by committing themselves to cuts in defence spending. I call on all OAU members to adopt the Secretary-General's proposal to limit defence spending to 1.5 per cent of the gross domestic product (GDP), a measure that would yield the added benefit of freeing up additional resources for development.

The United Nations and its various agencies have always attached very high priority to Africa. The major initiatives that have been launched in recent years by the United Nations, in particular the New Agenda for the Development of Africa and the Special Initiative for Africa, which is its principal implementation mechanism, constitute the guiding framework for United Nations action in Africa.

Other important international and bilateral initiatives on Africa are also in the process of being launched. I would like to assure you that the United Nations will do its utmost to mobilize international political energies to ensure vigorous follow through on all the commitments contained in these initiatives. Rest assured also that the United Nations is committed to improving its own performance in the field. The fundamental goal of the reforms proposed last year by the Secretary-General is to ensure that the United Nations becomes a more flexible and responsive instrument at the service of its Members.

In the area of development, reforms seek to achieve greater coherence among the various United Nations development agencies by bringing them under the same roof wherever possible and providing a common framework for their action, a framework designed in full partnership with the recipient countries.

Our search for improved coherence and coordination extends beyond the immediate United Nations family. It is in my view very much in the interest of our Member States that the United Nations establish cooperative and productive working relationship with the Bretton Woods institutions and regional organizations. At a time where we face collectively enormous challenges with scarce resources to address them, there should be no room for rivalry and mindless duplication of efforts among international institutions.

In this context, I believe the cooperation which exists between the United Nations and the OAU, both in the political and development areas, is a model to emulate. I wish, in this regard, to pay homage to the remarkable leadership of the Secretary-General of the OAU, Dr. Salim Ahmed Salim, in whom the Secretary-General has always found a strong and dependable partner. I also wish to commend the significant role being played by Africa's subregional organizations in resolving disputes and promoting the conditions for greater regional integration.

Let me conclude by offering you the United Nations' best wishes for a very successful Summit. A new chapter is opening in African history. A new dynamism is in evidence across the continent. The United Nations is committed to working with you and supporting you in your search for peace and prosperity.

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