President of the
Federal Republic of Nigeria
At The
Your Excellencies,
Humanity has come a long way out of the ruins of the Second World War, thanks to this august organization, the United Nations. We have emerged from the era of cold war and incessant fears of global conflagrations. A new horizon is now in front of us, predicated on ever-widening possibilities for development in all spheres of human endeavors, resulting from unparalleled advances in science and technology.
But new challenges have also emerged:
challenges of poverty and new diseases that have so far defied scientific knowledge and
control. The world is also faced with the scourge of internal conflicts which threaten
regional peace and impede social and economic development.
Although the world has generally become a
safer place to live in, thanks to the contributions of the United Nations, we must all
feel deeply worried that the message of hope which this organization has been spreading,
is yet to reach the millions of mankind for whom it is intended. For the vast majority of
our peoples, grinding poverty has remained a fact of their everyday existence.
The national governments to whom these
millions look up to, for succour, find themselves in the unenviable predicament of
helplessness, incapable of bringing meaningful changes in their peoples well-being, due to
the heavy burden of external debts which have crippled their capacities for national
initiatives.
Old diseases, such as tuberculosis, which
we all thought had been eradicated, have re-appeared with devastating consequences,
especially in developing countries. In addition, we now have HIV/AIDS which continue to
defy control, and has now combined with malaria, tuberculosis and other infectious
diseases, to form a lethal nexus with as much potential for devastation as war itself, and
thus a modern day threat to world peace and security.
The new Millennium is being shaped by
forces of globaIization that a re turning our world into a village. Thus, the new
millennium will demand of us, more than ever before, to live and work together as members
of one human family. But up to now, globalisation has meant prosperity only for the chosen
few of the industrialised countries. For us in the developing world, globalisation will
continue to ring hollow and of dubious value, until we see its positive effects on our
fortunes. In short, globalisation has to be seen to mean the eradication of poverty. And
then, and only then, will the true spirit of good neighbourliness reign in the new global
village.
The world community is challenged to evolve
a new system of international co-operation that will help to eliminate abject poverty
throughout the world, and integrate the developing countries into the globalized world
economy. At the first South Summit of the G77, held in Havana Cuba last April, it was
resolved that a new and meaningful partnership with the industrialized nations needed to
be forged, in order to make this earth a better place for all of us.
We must all be concerned about the
persistence of internal conflicts, more especially in our region of Africa. These
conflicts have proved to be very brutal, savage, and devastating. The unfortunate
destruction of lives and properties and their effects on the weaker members of the
society, namely children and women, remind us as members of the UN, that our objective of
world peace is still beyond many communities. Our aim in the new millennium therefore must
include a renewed determination to resolve these conflicts and prevent new ones so that
together all humanity will reap the benefit of peace and march forward in harmony and
prosperity.
External debt has emerged as the greatest
obstacle to progress in developing countries. Indeed, we note with appreciation, that a
number of initiatives have been put in place. The reality, however, is that these measures
are inadequate. The G-77 strongly urge creditor nations to seize this historic moment to
unshackle the economies of developing countries by cancelling all their external debts.
This is the only way these countries can be given the chance to effectively plan for the
improvement of living standards for their peoples.
We are at the beginning of a new dawn; what it
portends we cannot say. But this much we owe to ourselves and to succeeding generations: a
world where all nations, all races and all peoples can live in dignity and in peace with
one another. We must all resolve to strengthen and reinvigorate the United Nations for the
work ahead.
The reform of the United Nations, in
particular, the expansion and democratization of the Security Council is, therefore, a
task which can no longer be postponed, if our organization must brace up for the
challenges of the new millennium. In this respect, the G-77 pledges its willingness to
enter into meaningful dialogue with all our partners so as to re-energize the UN - indeed,
a body for which -there is no substitute - to meet the challenges of the 21st Century and
Third Millennium.
I thank you.