Your
Excellency Srgjan Kerim, President of the United Nations General Assembly;
Your
Excellency Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations;
Excellencies
Heads of State and Government;
Distinguished Representatives;
Ladies and
Gentlemen.
Let me
begin by congratulating you, Dr. Kerim, for your well deserved election as
President of the 62nd Session of the General Assembly. You can
count on Tanzania’s full support and cooperation as you discharge your
mandate. I also commend your predecessor, Madam Shaikha Haya Rashed Al
Khalifa, for having skillfully presided over the 61st session.
We
congratulate Mr. Ban Ki-moon for his unanimous election as the eighth
Secretary General of the United Nations, which reflects his distinguished
diplomatic track record, integrity and commitment to international
diplomacy.
I also
thank him for the honour and trust he has bestowed upon my country, by
appointing an accomplished Tanzanian academic and diplomat to the post of UN
Deputy Secretary General. I take this opportunity to once again congratulate
Dr. Asha-Rose Migiro, for her appointment to this high office. I trust that such a combination of diligence and devoted
leadership will steer this important institution towards greater heights of
success.
Climate Change
Mr. President;
I highly commend the Secretary General for
his decision to convene the High Level Event on Climate Change four days
ago. The meeting gave us an opportunity to discuss the state of health of
our common planet. It also gave us the opportunity to renew our commitment
to take the necessary steps to correct the mistakes we have done.
The recent report by the Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has confirmed that warming of the earth’s
climate system is indisputable and is attributable to, by and large, human
activities.
Africa and many Small Island
States contribute the least to the greenhouse gases that cause this
phenomenon; yet, significant impact of climate change is evident on our
countries. Most countries are experiencing severe floods, frequent and
prolonged droughts, reduced water supply, decline in crop yields, rising sea
levels, and an increase in water borne diseases. These impacts of climate change can affect African countries’
ability to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Climate change
threatens to undo the results of decades of development efforts.
In Tanzania, for certain, the impact of
global warming is real and visible. There has been a steady increase in
temperature for the past 30 years, adversely affecting almost all sectors of
the economy.
Severe droughts have been recurrent in the
past few years. Water levels in Lake Victoria and Lake Tanganyika have
dropped significantly. There has been a dramatic recession of 7 km of Lake
Rukwa in the Western part of the country in the past 50 years. About 80 per
cent of the glacier on Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest in Africa, has been
lost since 1912.
We have prepared a National Adaptation Program of
Action. There is a national programme of planting over 200 million tree
seedlings per annum besides having reserved 24 percent of our territory for
national parks and 38 percent for forest reserves.
We trust that countries like Tanzania, which have reserved
such large tracts of land for protection of wildlife and forests, including
an ambitious tree planting programme for global good, would be adequately
compensated for their significant contribution to carbon sequestration.
We have
prepared a National Adaptation Program of Action (NAPA) and undertaken an
indepth analysis of the impact of climate change on agriculture, health,
water as well as a technological needs assessment for adaptation and poverty
reduction.
Tanzania hopes that the
Climate Change Adaptation Fund would be successfully negotiated and
concluded together with other proposed innovative sources of financing
discussed during the High Level Event earlier this week.
Mr. President;
Since the causes and
consequences of climate change are global, international cooperation and
partnership in addressing them is imperative. Tanzania supports the Clean
Development Mechanism (CDM), which assists developing countries to achieve
sustainable development and requires developed countries to fulfill their
commitments under the Kyoto Protocol.
So far Africa has the least number of CDM
projects. Of the over 800 projects around the world, Africa has about 20
projects only. This inequitable distribution is of concern to us and must
be resolved in order for it to contribute meaningfully to the sustainable
development of Africa.
I wish to emphasize that
international collective action is critical in developing an effective
response to global warming. Indeed a review process to consider further
commitment of the Parties under the Kyoto Protocol beyond 2012 is urgent and
necessary. Tanzania promises to participate actively at the Bali Summit.
UN Reforms/One UN
Mr. President;
Tanzania welcomes the recent
milestones in the UN reform process namely the establishment of the Peace
Building Commission, the Human Rights Council and the Central Emergency
Relief Fund. We attach great importance to these new initiatives and we
want to contribute to their success.
In its report of November 2006
entitled, “Delivering as One”, the UN Panel on System-wide Coherence made
valuable recommendations, including the establishment of a “One UN” system
at the country level. For, we in Tanzania, believe that the development
coordination agenda is best served when we have at the country level one
programme, one budgetary framework, one leader, and one office.
Tanzania is pleased to be
among the eight “One UN” pilot countries. The One UN Programme is for us a logical development from the
United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF), a framework that is
fully aligned with our national priorities. The efficiencies in aid
delivery expected through “One UN” will certainly contribute to enhancing
our capacity to attain the MDGs.
I
call upon member states to give our organization, the United Nations, the
resources it needs to implement this pilot project. The project should not
fail for lack of resources. I also urge the Bretton Woods Institutions to
take a keener interest in this initiative and join in the efforts to realize
its objectives.
The need to make the UN Security Council more representative is an age old
demand of all of us. Time has come to walk the talk. We need to move from
rhetoric to action. Now is the time. Tanzania assures the entire UN
membership our whole-hearted support and cooperation in this process.
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)
Mr.
President;
We are now halfway through the time-line of 2015 set for achieving
the Millennium Development Goals. Yet we are not half-way in realizing the
targets as spelt out at the Millennium Summit of 2000. We are in this
unfortunate state of affairs because the additional resources expected and
promised by the developed countries have not come forth. I urge this august
General Assembly to renew its appeal to the developed nations to deliver on
their promise.
In this regard, we welcome the initiative
mentored by the Norwegian Prime Minister Mr. Jens Stoltenberg to launch a
global campaign to mobilize resources for achieving the MDG 4 on reducing
infant mortality rates and MDG 5 on reducing maternal mortality rates.
Tanzania supports the effort and we are happy to be associated with it. I
appeal to all of us to support the initiative. It is our hope that,
developed nations will support the campaign by providing the required
resources.
On the same vein, we commend Secretary
General Ban Ki-moon for establishing the African MDG Steering Group. Africa
is excited about it. We trust that it will give new impetus in assisting
Africa attain all MDGs.
We also welcome the historic decision
taken by the President of the General Assembly to convene a special summit
of leaders to discuss the MDGs during this session. We support this wise
decision of our President for we believe it will provide the needed momentum
for the timely achievement of the MDGs in Africa.
Regional Issues: Africa
Mr. President;
Tanzania has played,
and will continue to play, its historic role in the search for peace,
security, stability and development in Great Lakes region. I thank the
United Nations and the Group of Friends of the Great Lakes for their support
to the processes of the International Conference on the Great Lakes. As we
all know, at the Nairobi Conference held in December, 2006, an historic
Pact on Peace, Security, Stability and Development in the Great Lakes
Region was signed. A new era of hope, collective security and cooperation
for development was ushered in. For sure, if the letter and spirit of the
Pact are implemented, the Great Lakes Region will be a completely new place
from the one we are used to know.
We are happy that member states have committed to ratify the
Pact by the end of this year. This will enable the Pact to come into
force. We look forward to continued support from the UN, friends of the
Great Lakes and the international community at large as we endeavour to get
durable peace, stability and sustainable development.
Mr. President;
Burundi and DRC
We are happy with the tremendous progress
made in Burundi. Peace has been restored and life has come back to normal.
Tanzania will continue to work with the region and South Africa to ensure
the full operationalization of the peace agreement signed between the
Burundi government and the FNL-Palipehutu.
We are concerned with the fluidity of the
situation in North Kivu. We hope wisdom will prevail on the parties
concerned to give peace a chance. The people of the DRC deserve it. We in
Tanzania promise to play whatever part may be required of us.
With restored peace in Burundi and many
parts of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), it is incumbent upon us
in the international community to encourage and assist refugees to go back
to their respective countries. This is what the Tripartite Commissions
involving Tanzania, UNHCR and the respective countries of Burundi and DRC
have been doing. Our joint Commissions have been encouraging repatriation
of refugees on voluntary basis and we have been assisting those who came
forward. The results are encouraging but things could be better. A word of
encouragement from this organization could make a difference.
Mr. President;
Tanzania believes that the return of
refugees to their country of origin is a sovereign right which should not be
denied. It is also the ultimate testimony and guarantor of the peace so
attained. It is not fair, it is not right for people to continue to live in
refugee camps after peace has been restored in their countries of origin.
Situation in Darfur
Mr. President;
The current progress with regard to Darfur
gives us hope. The adoption of Security Council Resolution 1769 to deploy a
hybrid force of peacekeepers from the African Union and the United Nations,
and the renewed political dialogue among the parties to the conflict, holds
promise for the stalled peace process and the humanitarian crisis that
unfortunately persists there.
Tanzania applauds the unique partnership
which has evolved between the African Union and the United Nations. We
stand ready to contribute troops to the hybrid force.
Somalia
Mr. President;
We are encouraged by recent developments
with regard to internal political dialogue in Somalia. We are equally happy
with the attention given to Somalia by the Security Council and the United
Nations Secretary General. We welcome the recent Security Council
resolution 1772 (2007) which supports the political process in Somalia and
the role of AMISON. As member of the Somali Contact Group, Tanzania
promises to continue to be pro-active and offers to contribute in the
training of the Somali military.
Western Sahara
Mr. President;
The United Nations should remain seized with the issue of
Western Sahara. Tanzania reaffirms its support for the inalienable right of
the people of Saharawi to decide and choose the way forward. We urge the
United Nations to intensify its efforts to find an honourable and just
solution to this longstanding decolonization issue.
The Middle East
The crisis inside the Palestinian
territories is a matter of great concern to us. Tanzania remains
supportive of efforts aimed at creating two states, Israel and Palestine,
living side by side, at peace with each other. This presents, in our view, the best hope for sustainable peace
in the region. We applaud and welcome the renewed international interest and
effort in line with the relevant UN resolutions.
Lebanese Situation
The Lebanese government and peoples need
and deserve the continued support of the UN and all of us in the
international community as they reconstruct and stabilize their country.
In this regard, Tanzania is glad to be a party to the efforts being
expended by the United Nations, through our modest contribution to the
Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). We are ready to increase our
contribution whenever required to do so.
Conclusion
Mr. President;
In conclusion, Mr. President, Tanzania
reaffirms its belief in and commitment to multilateralism and the United
Nations. You can count on Tanzania’s continued support to this
organization and the ideals it stands for.
I thank you.
Tanzania,
is a country on the east coast of east Africa. 
