Mr. President,
Mr. Secretary-General,
Your Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

On behalf of the people and the Government of the Republic of Mozambique, and on my own behalf, I would like to join the previous speakers in congratulating you most sincerely on your election as 'President of this Millennium Summit of the United Nations. We are confident that with your proven skills, wisdom and clear guidance, the proceedings of this Summit will lead to the much desired success.

I would also like to commend the Secretary-General for the report on the Millennium Assembly of the United Nations, for his leadership and continued commitment to international peace and security and for his leadership in dealing with an increasing array of challenges worldwide. I wish to encourage him to continue in this positive path.

Mr. President,

We are gathered here to debate on the role of the United Nations in the 21st Century. In tackling the issue we need to take stock of the progress and failures registered so far with a view to devising the appropriate political strategies to address the daunting challenges ahead of us.

In spite of progress in many areas of our life, we still have many things to do for the betterment of the entire humanity such as addressing conflicts, fighting poverty endemic diseases and pr inequalities within and among nations.

The peoples of the world look to us with great expectations full realization of our people's hope and aspirations compels display a sense of strong commitment and of an unwavering cal will, the adoption of a new international co-operation paradigm along with the spirit of solidarity It requires that we en in a new and more creative partnership in which our people placed at the centre stage of our development strategies.

Mr. President,

We have carefully studied the Secretary-General's Report and noted with satisfaction that it touches upon most of the pressing chalenges faced by the peoples of the world today. These include the promotion of a culture of peace within and among nations and among throughout the world, for this will allow the accomplishment of all o objectives, such as poverty eradication, development, human rights motion and protection, as well as meeting the challenges of globalization.

It is, therefore, our conviction that the debate we are engaged must be the beginning of the crystallization of a process of building a better and a safer world through meaningful policies, strategies, and a that will guide the United Nations of tomorrow. We address this m confident that the Millennium Summit will not result merely in the ad of declarations of intentions that cannot be translated into concrete actions by the United Nations and governments.

We should seek to adopt pragmatic, action-oriented and implementable decisions. Then and only then, we shall be meeting the aspirations not only of the founding fathers of our universal organization, also of our peoples today.

Mr. President,

Over the last two decades of the 20th Century, the world h been dominated by a process of global transformation in which we witnessed a tremendous shake-up of the world order driven by a confluence of economic dynamism and technological advances, which include the information revolution and the increasing liberalization of the world markets.

This phenomenon known as globalization is increasingly dictating the dynamics of international relations as demonstrated by its far-reaching effects all over the world.

Unfortunately, the uncritical manner in which globalization. has been presented, gives us the feeling that this phenomenon has been led and shaped by developed countries in such a way as to suit the needs and interests of those nations at the expense of the majority of poor nations. Today we are seemingly living in a world where few countries are reaping the benefits of globalization, and the majority are increasingly being marginalized from the global economy.

The opportunities offered by globalization and increased interdependence are greatly overshadowed by the reduced ability of states to control the serious threats caused by the spread of crossborder crimes, narcotics trafficking, terrorism, diseases and the proliferation of weapons.

The global economy, in which we live today, characterized by rapid flows of financial and commercial transactions as well as of information technology, is based on unequal levels of development of states thus creating an imbalanced sharing of the burden of globalization and liberalization.

We had hoped that the globalization process would result in increased economic opportunities for developing countries, especially for those on the African continent, but evidence shows their increasing marginalization as a direct result of their inability to extract tangible benefits and solve the problems they are faced with.

Developing countries, particularly the least developed ones, are facing serious difficulties in their efforts to integrate themselves into the world economy. By liberalizing trade and finance, the globalization process has exposed poor countries to powerful external forces and has driven them to marginalization and exclusion. This results in serious economic asymmetries, leading to a widening gap between the rich North and the poor South, not only in economic terms, but also in terms of technology and knowledge, a trend leading to greater inequalities. With these increasing inequalities, social injustice and poverty continue to grow in poor countries. This, in turn constitutes a source of frustration and conflicts that pose serious threat to international security and stability, democracy and peace.

Mr. President,

The alarming figures on poverty in the Secretary-General's report are indeed embarrassing to us as world leaders as we re the famous statement by the late Mahatma Ghandi, and I quote "Poverty is the worst form of violence", end of the quote. indeed poverty is a form of violence because it touches the very essence of the human being. This picture is unacceptable and the world leaders gathered here ought to commit themselves to do their utmost to reverse this situation.

If we look at the development stage the world has reached today, with societies living in conditions of extreme abundance continued existence of absolute poverty in the world is morally unacceptable.

We have to reverse the current trend in the international economic system and create one, which brings about justice, equal opportunities and benefits for all peoples in the world. If the scourage of underdevelopment is not addressed, it can shake the very foundations of the current international system. We, therefore call upon the international community to harness and man the globalization process in order to ensure that all people the world benefit from it. This implies transparency, equity an urgent need for developing countries to fully and effect participate in the decision-making process on matters pertaining to trade and investment, science and technology, international finance and development aid. Only then shall we celebrate the advances and benefits brought about by globalization.

Social and economic development of the developing c tries in a favourable international environment is the only 6 solution for the eradication of poverty and this includes the increase of ODA (Official Development Assistance) and foreign direct investment, external debt relief and free access by developing countries to developed countries" markets.

External debt is a major obstacle to economic growth and sustainable development, of developing countries. While we welcome the HIPC (Highly Indebted Poor Countries) and the Cologne Initiatives as well as other mechanisms for debt relief, we believe that unconditional debt cancellation could enable us to redirect resources to poverty eradication, including the improvement of social sectors and rehabilitation of basic infrastructures.

However, debt cancellation per se can not guarantee the eradication of poverty. It needs to be supplemented by better access to world markets, provision of adequate development assistance, and by foreign direct investments. We believe that preferential treatment to developing countries' products needs to be enhanced in order to ensure income generation, creation of employment and improvement of social conditions of the populations.

With regard to ODA we would like to urge developed countries to honour their commitment and meet the target of 0.7% of their GDP (Gross Domestic Product) for ODA to developing countries. We reiterate our conviction that the decreasing ODA, the unbearable external debt burden and the deterioration of the terms of trade have negative impact on the search for resources to be allocated in social programs and to fight against poverty.

Developing countries have obligations in what concerns the creation of an enabling social, economic and political environment to attract foreign investment and for the development of economic activity, including the promotion of the private sector.

The quest for development goes along with respect for the principle of accountability which means that countries receiving external aid have to guarantee transparent and efficient use of funds made available, while donor countries must be made accountable for the fulfillment of their commitments in terms of disbursement of the internationally agreed funds for ODA, on time.

We consider the eradication of infectious diseases such as malaria, tuberculosis and HIVAIDS as a key issue for development and security of the developing countries, especially of the African countries. In my country, we have established a National Committee that involves all our national stakeholders and sectors to coord the implementation of the program to combat HIVAIDS.

It is our conviction, however, that the question of HIVAID other infectious diseases does not only affect Mozambique and Africa, but all continents and countries. We, therefore, urge al members of the international community to set up a common strategy for prevention and combat of infectious diseases. Furthermore, our people and countries must be given access to affordable d and technologies.

Mr. President,

Another area of particular interest to us is that of access technology and information technology.

Science and technology, in particular, information technology and communication are essential for economic growth and development, as well as for the eradication of poverty. The access to science and technology, and advancement of knowledge would provide developing countries with the real possibility of accelerating their process of development. The lack of access to technology widen gap between developed and developing countries. Therefore, technology. should be made available to developing countries at affordable prices, and in such a way that it is possible for these count to appropriate and further develop them for the benefit of their peoples, and the world at large.

This means that developing nations have the inescapable mission of educating their people, in order to develop a competitive work force capable of addressing the challenges of a sustainable development.

The United Nations has, then, the important task of monitoring growth based on scientific and technological knowledge in order add new and more reliable measures for sustainable and harmonious development of the world.The establishment of technology transfer facilities will also help developing countries to assess their technological needs, identify technology suppliers, to conclude beneficial technology deals and partnership in areas such as information technology, biotechnology and environmentally sound technologies for development.

Assistance has to be provided in those areas, particularly involving small and medium scale enterprises, on which we lay the hopes for economic empowerment of our peoples.

Mr. President,

Our desires and aspirations can only be realized in a stable and peaceful environment.

Disarmament, peace and international security continue to be crucial to the aspirations of all humanity and as such, it is also a critical challenge of the new millennium.

It is essential that efforts be intensified in the search for general disarmament, including the total destruction of weapons of mass destruction, in particular nuclear weapons. Illegal traffic of small arms and light weapons should be prevented through international concerted efforts.

The strengthening of the role of the United Nations Organization in the maintenance of peace and international security through its Security Council, which has to be legitimate and more democratic, has to be fulfilled through measures such as:

- Promotion of a culture of peace as the basis for the efforts to prevent conflicts;

• Urgent need for an approach to address the primary causes of conflicts already identified by the United Nations Secretary-General's Report on Africa, presented in 1998 to the Security Council;
• Promotion of a greater co-operation between the United Nations, regional and sub-regional organizations in the prevention, management and resolution of conflicts;
• Promotion of peaceful settlement of conflicts and assistance to reconstruction efforts in post-conflict situations;
• Encouragement of States to sign and ratify the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on their Destruction;
• Strengthening of efforts to eradicate the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons, which is the main source of violence and economic and social instability. In this context, there be strong support for the 2001 International Conference Illicit Trade of Small and Light Weapons;
• Promotion, not only of accession or ratification of the leg instruments, but also and fundamentally, their effective implementation in all areas of international relations.
• Review of the United Nations Peace Keeping Operations order to make them more effective.

For the implementation of these measures, as well as the decisions to be adopted in this historical Summit, we are of the view there is need for the establishment or reinforcement of the existing follow-up mechanisms.

Mr. President,

One of the central questions before us today as members of United Nations is to identify the new responsibilities of the Organiization in the new millennium. It is crucial to examine the impact of globalization in the new millennium. It is crucial to examine the impact of globalization on the social fabric of our countries and determine what is the role of the United Nations in ensuring that process becomes a positive force for humanity. We encourage t definition of long-term development strategies in which all count regardless of size, have an opportunity to become active player the new economic order.

As the Secretary-General rightly pointed out in his report, t United Nations remains the only global institution, with the legitimacy and scope that derive from its universal character, and a ma that encompasses development, security, human rights, and the environment. It is, therefore, our belief that, in the context of globalization, the United Nations can play a vital role in the search an effective integration of developing countries in the global economy, in such a way that these countries can derive concrete b fits from global growth and development. We believe that the United Nations can play a central role in the management of the world's economic and social development.

Mr. President,

We are of the view that the values and principles of international relations in the 21st Century include: multilateral ism, freedom for all men and women, equality among nations to benefit from development; international solidarity in managing global challenges; tolerance in the relations among all human beings, and respect and protection of our environment.

We strongly support the view that in order to transform these values and principles into concrete actions, a set of objectives must be determined. These include: poverty eradication and development, peace, security and disarmament, protection of the environment; transparency and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms; the protection of vulnerable groups, in particular, women, children, and the elderly from poverty, armed conflicts, incidence of diseases such as malaria, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS and natural disasters. To that end, measures such as the cancellation of external debt, the improvement in market access, and increase in ODA and FDI are the cornerstone to the realization of hopes and expectations of the African peoples in their struggle for a durable peace, stability and sustainable development.

We must reaffirm our faith in the United Nations and in its Charter as indispensable foundations of a peaceful, prosperous and just world. Only then we can say that the cause for multilateralism that the United Nations represents is fundamental in the pursuit of a genuine international solidarity towards economic growth, poverty eradication, and development of our countries.

In the more than 50 years of its existence, the United Nations has made a critical contribution towards the prevention of a new world war. It played an essential role in promoting international peace and security, cooperation for development, as well as in forging international normative consensus in many areas.

However, during this period conflicts prevailed in many parts of the world. Therefore the conflict management and prevention mechanisms in the new millennium must be more comprehensive and effective. To that end, we must identify and tackle the causes of conflict.

Mr. President,

I would like take this historic opportunity to express, on be the people and the Government of Mozambique, my warmest to all those sister countries and the international community as whole, for the fast response and helpful support provided to using the floods that affected the southern and central zones of Mozambique in which our infrastructure was destroyed and many lives were lost.

It is very rare, Mr. President, to see armies from different c tries, with no experience of working together before, united in common goal to save human lives, at their own risk. These brave men and women in uniform deserve our special gratitude and found respect.

We equally thank the international community for the assistance in convening the donors conference held in Rome, Italy, in which significant contributions were pledged for the reconstruction of the devaastated areas in Mozambique.

However, we are concerned at the fact that the slow proces the disbursement of the US$ 453 million pledged for reconstruction programs has resulted in delays in the reconstruction of road n works and other infrastructure essential for the re-launching of economic activities, with negative impact for the private sector, risin inflation and increased prices of basic goods and services.

We thank all partners who have made their resources avail and urge the others to speed up the process. We are confident the good will, which has ever since been shown by our friends, prevail and these difficulties will be overcome.

I am happy to report that most families who were displaced the floods have been resettled in safe areas. However, I must stress that they still require assistance to satisfy their basic needs in terms of food items and shelter.

The greatest lesson we have learned from the flood situation is that although the media were rapid in making the drama known worldwide, the lack of appropriate means and mechanisms for management and prevention of natural disasters did not allow all of us to respond as quickly as the situation required.

The lack of these means and mechanisms at the national level made the international community's response, especially the United Nations, seem even slower. Therefore, we believe that, there is a need to increase assistance for international co-operation for the prevention and management of natural disasters, as well as the need to set up disaster prevention and management mechanisms, including early warning systems, taking into account the work accomplished in the UN International Decade For Natural Disaster Reduction. In view of the increasing number and scale of natural extreme disasters worldwide, in particular in developing countries, we urge the international community to help create and strengthen national and sub-regional capacities for prevention and management of these calamities.

Mozambique has, to a large extent, experienced the positive impact of an effective and coordinated action by the United Nations and the international community at large, both in times of peace and of conflict.

It is our earnest hope that the United Nations will be reformed as soon as possible and strengthened in such a way that its effectiveness is enhanced. We commit ourselves to making our modest contribution towards the attainment of this noble goal.

I thank you Mr. President.

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