GA/SM/99

ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT SAYS INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY MUST ACHIEVE VICTORY IN WAR AGAINST POVERTY

Following is the text of a statement by General Assembly President Theo- Ben Gurirab (Namibia) delivered on 19 September at the Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine in New York:

I have come to this magnificent Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine on many occasions in the past, for politicking and strategising with other good people. At other times, I joined the community to mourn the deaths of people's heroes and martyrs.

Still at various instances, we gathered here for commemorating important international events that connected us together as members of an extended human family. Often, I was invisible and voiceless, except to my comrades and friends present with me.

Today, I come back as your friend and neighbour, who has become President of the United Nations General Assembly and Foreign Minister of the Republic of Namibia. Which means that dreams do come true if you are fortunate enough to have friends who make your cause their own to the end.

In this House of Worship and Peace, I want to reaffirm my strong belief in the ideals of the United Nations, and my commitment to upholding its principles and goals.

"To save succeeding generations from the scourge of war; to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men and women, and of nations large and small; and to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom" -- these are eternal imperatives, which have inspired the founding of the United Nations.

My reflection this morning will focus on human dignity, especially the plight of children.

Before doing so, I must sketch the background against which my reflection is based. The world today is characterised by a dichotomy between the developed and developing countries. Over the past few decades, certain developments in the world have brought about revolutionary changes and transformed life in different ways. With recent scientific advances in such areas as bio-chemistry, bio-genetics, telecommunications, computer technology and the Internet, the world has arrived at a point where many of the problems besetting society can be shared and resolved, in the best interest of all.

Today, in the industrialised countries, the lives of people have been transformed in so many unimaginable ways. This progress has led to the eradication of many killer diseases and viruses, including polio, smallpox and tuberculosis, and all but eliminated illiteracy. As a result, enormous resources have been put at the disposal of greater numbers of people, thereby creating wealth and reducing poverty in those countries.

At the same time, most of the developing countries continue to languish under conditions of extreme poverty and increasing marginalisation. The populations in many of these countries are yet to see the real benefits of scientific progress made over the last few decades. Their children still suffer from illnesses long forgotten in the countries of the North. Many of them are victims of abuse and neglect.

Let me now proceed to talk about the condition of our children in the world today.

I said at the beginning that dreams do come true. But looking at the state of the world today, it is a lamentable fact that many of our children are deprived of opportunities to pursue their dreams. Life for them is a nightmare! Instead of a safe, happy and promising life, millions of children endure an existence of hunger, poverty, illiteracy and abuse.

In spite of the numerous international conventions and protocols on the protection of children, they continue to suffer widespread abuses and sexual exploitation, including child prostitution and child pornography. Millions of children are subjected to forced labour under oppressive and often dangerous conditions. They have no hope for schooling and playing.

Several million children have also been orphaned or separated from their parents. Children account for one half of the more than 12 million refugees worldwide. They also account for one half of the 6 million internally displaced persons in the world. In both developed and developing countries, children are in increasing numbers failing victim to drug abuse which constitutes a serious threat to their health, safety and well-being.

In particular, the situation of children in armed conflict exacerbates all the other abuses to which children are subjected. Increasingly, these children are forcibly turned into soldiers to serve in national armies, tribal, ethnic or racial gangs. Quite literally, actions of heartless adults dehumanise children, creating in their place little monsters through recruitment into violence. As retired Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa said, children "sometimes carry out the most barbaric acts of violence. But no matter what the child is guilty of, the main responsibility lies with us adult".

One of the most heinous crimes is the preference for children as soldiers. This is based on the despicable idea that children are easier to control and manipulate, and that they are easily programmed to feel little fear or revulsion for their actions. This inhumane idea is an affront to the conscience and dignity of us all. Through such heinous actions of adults, the world is not saving future generations from the scourge of war, but instead condemning them to barbarism, endless violence and life without roots.

Against the aforegoing, the time for action is now! We must protect our children and future generations by insisting on the implementation of all international instruments relating to the rights of children. In the context of the United Nations, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), as the principal agency mandated with the protection of all children, should be provided with adequate resources to alleviate the suffering of children everywhere. At the same time, the international community must support the untiring efforts of the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict to expose cruelty against children.

For my part, I have decided to use every opportunity at my disposal as President of the General Assembly to sensitise the international community about the plight and needs of our children. I know that the Secretary-General of the United Nations and other leaders of our Organisation are equally dedicated to reach this goal.

Moreover, it is important that the heroic work of the United Nations should be complemented by contributions of resources and funds from governments, businesses and civil society, including the rendering of public service by religious communities and the media. The rescue operation of our children must be a persistent and shared responsibility of all.

However, all of these global efforts would be in vain if they were not carried out in tandem with the restructuring and democratisation of international relations. The appealing idea of a global village can only ring true if it is based on a virtue of sharing in a way that an extended family does. It follows from this, that a new world order should emerge which places greater emphasis on the people, their welfare and destiny.

In this context, the ideals of peace, freedom, human rights, justice, equality and solidarity must inspire our actions. These ideals should be at the centre of discussions and actions relating to the United Nations reform process, democracy, good governance, transparency, globalization and restructuring of the international financial system.

Without tangible improvement in the condition of the world's impoverished countries, the plight of their children will not change for the better. Without enabling the developing countries to redress their faltering economies through debt write-off, and support for sustained development and wealth creation, these countries will not be able to provide lasting solutions to the plight of their children.

Without active support to conflict resolution, our best efforts to create better conditions for life both for the children and youth, will remain unattainable. Without care and respect for our living environment and its sustainable utilisation, we will be robbing the future generations of their chance to further enrich world civilization.

Underdevelopment, poverty, uneven distribution of power, of wealth and of knowledge prevent peace, brotherhood and the full enjoyment of quality of life.

In conclusion, let me state here that the poorest of the poor in the third world are certainly disadvantaged in many human necessities. But they have a secret weapon, complete with lethal cluster fallouts. It is the weapon of poverty! Poverty is both contagious and destabilising to any society. It can cause political instability, economic retrogression, social disorder, widespread acts of terrorism and crime leading inevitably to the breakdown of family cohesion and negation of human dignity. It is against poverty -- the father of all evils -- that the international community must declare war and achieve victory in the interest of protecting our existence and safeguarding future generations.

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