ADDRESS BY HIS EXCELLENCY,
MUHAMMADU BUHARI, PRESIDENT OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA AT THE GENERAL
DEBATE OF THE 76TH SESSION OF UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY IN NEW YORK, USA
FRIDAY 24TH SEPTEMBER, 2021
Protocols:
Mr. President,
Let me, on behalf of the
government and people of Nigeria, congratulate you on your well-deserved
election as President of the 76th Session of the United Nations General
Assembly. I would like to assure you of the full support and cooperation of the
Nigerian delegation throughout your tenure.
2. I would like to commend your
predecessor, His Excellency, Mr. Volkan Boskir, for the many remarkable
achievements recorded during his tenure, despite the challenges posed by the
COVID-19 pandemic.
3. Permit me to congratulate the
Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, on his re-election and commend his strong
commitment to making the UN more alive to its responsibilities.
4. I also want to express my
gratitude to him for re-appointing Ms. Amina Mohammed, as the Deputy Secretary
General to assist him in discharging his heavy responsibilities.
Mr President,
5. The theme of this year’s
General Assembly – “Building resilience through hope – to recover from
COVID-19, rebuild sustainably, respond to the needs of the planet, respect the
rights of the people, and revitalise the United Nations, sums up our common
desire to rescue our planet, recover our economies, and restore hope to all the
peoples of the world.
6. In this regard, my delegation
will continue to support the United Nations, as the indispensable forum for
international cooperation and the cornerstone of the multilateral system,
rooted in respect for international law, including international human rights
law and predicated on a rules-based order.
Mr President,
7. I want to thank the
international community for the concerted response to COVID-19. The solidarity
and drive to contain the first truly global health emergency of our time is a
pointer to the many things we can achieve if we work together.
8. On our part, Nigeria has made
strenuous efforts to contain the virus and halt its deadly onslaught on our
people. Our efforts have been rewarded with moderate success.
9. At the outset, we recognised
detection and contact tracing to be important tools in combating the virus. In
this connection, from a mere four laboratories with testing and detection
capacities, we ramped up the facilities to over 140 centres today.
10. Similarly, we built isolation
centres and emergency hospitals wards in record time all over the country. We
carry out genomic sequencing in designated laboratories across the country with
a view to detecting variants in circulation.
11. In addition, over 40,000
health care workers have recently been trained on Infection, Prevention and
Control measures with the support of various partners. Through the Nigerian
Centre for Disease Control, we have established 16 infectious disease treatment
centres located within our teaching hospitals and Federal Medical Centres.
12. Nigeria remains grateful for
the assistance received from our partners and friends all over the world.
Vaccination is the key to our safe emergence from the pandemic. We fully
support the COVAX initiative from which we have benefitted. We also thank the
United States of America, Turkey, India,China, European Union, and others for
the vaccines provided.
13. Despite the acknowledgement
however, I would like to reiterate my call for a fairer and more equitable
distribution of vaccines to all countries so that, together, we can fight and
contain the pandemic. The rising wave of newer and more contagious strains,
makes this even more urgent. No country can afford the socio-economic
implications of prolonged shutdown. It is imperative to underscore that no one
is safe until everyone is safe.
Mr President,
14. Nigeria remains deeply
concerned over the illicit trade, transfer, and circulation of small arms and
light weapons. Their excessive accumulation and uncontrolled spread in many
regions of the world are having devastating humanitarian and socio-economic
consequences, especially on the
continent of Africa.
15. It is on this note that my
delegation calls for the world wide application of the Arms Trade Treaty to
codify accountability in conventional arms trade, which is critical to the
security of nations. This is in recognition of the need for a broad-based
global partnership in the on-going battle against trans-border crimes,
including terrorism and piracy.
Mr. President,
16. We must deal not only with
the symptoms of conflict but also the immediate causes that fuel conflicts in
the first place. These include poor and undemocratic governance, human rights
abuses, poverty, ignorance, injustice and inequalities.
17. There are no easy solutions
to these conditions. They require long term investments and more effective
international cooperation. In this connection, my delegation underscores the
importance of promoting peaceful, unfettered, and inclusive participation of
states in global actions towards conflict prevention. This will facilitate the
achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the African
Union Agenda 2063.
18 In West Africa especially, our
democratic gains of the past decades are now being eroded. The recent trend of
unconstitutional takeover of power, sometimes in reaction to unilateral changes
of constitutions by some leaders, must not be tolerated by the international
community. Nigeria fully supports the efforts by ECOWAS to address this growing
challenge and appreciates the support of both the African Union and the United
Nations. In this regard, I would like to reiterate that as leaders of our
individual Member-States need to adhere to the constitutional provisions of our
countries, particularly on term limits. This is one area that generates crisis
and political tension in our sub-region.
Mr President,
19. Nigeria is fully committed to
nuclear non-proliferation and has always supported the view that it should
involve all States.
20. Disarmament Conventions
deserve the support of all states, small, large, nuclear or non-nuclear.
Nuclear weapons remain the ultimate agents of mass destruction, and their total
elimination should be the final objective of all disarmament processes within
the broad spectrum of goals being pursued by the United Nations.
21. In this regard, Nigeria would
participate actively in the forthcoming Review Conference of the Nuclear
Prohibition Treaty and also the First Meeting of states Parties to the landmark
Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, scheduled to take place within
the first quarter of 2022.
22. Nigeriaregards these upcoming
events as important steps towards the realisation of a world free of nuclear
weapons. We are, therefore, supportive of any diplomatic efforts in this
direction. We hope that the upcoming NPT review conference would lead to a
successful outcome that would facilitate the denuclearisation of the world. We
would do our part to ensure such an outcome.
Mr. President,
23. Terrorism continues to
dominate security discourse worldwide. In Nigeria, Boko Haram terrorist group,
though fragmented by internal strife and weakened by our defence forces, is
still active and preying on soft targets. Nigeria will continue to work closely
with UN Counter-Terrorism bodies and entities with a view to bringing this
scourge to an end.
24. Nigeria has spared no effort
in addressing the challenges of terrorism posed by the activities of Boko Haram
in north-East Nigeria and the Lake Chad region, as well as banditry in the
north-West and North-Central Nigeria. The Nigerian Security Forces have
recorded considerable success in the fight against terrorism. As a result of
the renewed vigour of our military, many terrorist fighters are voluntarily
surrendering to our security forces.
25. I and three other Nigerian
Heads of State served actively as peacekeepers and Nigeria continues to support
peacekeeping efforts. We know the sacrifice involved, we also know how
important peacekeeping is for those in vulnerable situations. Nigeria will
continue to play its part fully in supporting United Nations peacekeeping
operations within Africa and beyond.
Mr. President,
26. The impact of climate change
is already with us in Nigeria, manifesting in various ways: conflicts trigger;
food insecurity, drying up of lakes; loss of livelihood, and youth migration,
among others. The trend is the same in many other countries that are threatened
by forest fires, rising sea levels, drought and desertification.
27. In the circumstances, we
intend to build a climate-resilient economy that effectively aligns with the
SDGs and that has great potentials to unlocking the full opportunities in
different sectors of the economy, while protecting the resources for present
and future generations. I know, in several ways, this is also a familiar story
in many countries.
28. As leaders, we must create
inclusive and gender-sensitive policies that address all issues connected to
climate action, from mitigation to resilience.
29. Nigeria believes that
protecting our planet and its biodiversity and climate are important to our
collective survival. That is why, we are working on a transition to low carbon
economy, consistent with achieving the Paris Climate Agreement and the
Sustainable Development Goals.
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Mr. President,
30. Combating illicit financial
flows and ensuring the recovery and return of illicitly acquired assets have
the potential to provide resources in the immediate term for financing
development in this era of the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.
31. Similarly, corruption across
national borders has huge negative impact on the stability, peace, and economic
prospects of millions, particularly in developing countries.
32. It deprives national
governments of resources needed to provide adequate and meaningful sources of
livelihood for their citizens. The latter gives rise to more irregular
migration patterns, with unwholesome consequences for inter-state and human
relations.
33. I, therefore, call on all
leaders to demonstrate the much-needed political will by supporting their
commendations for systemic reforms made by the FACTI Panel.
34. We support establishing
modalities for a global coordination mechanism at the UnitedNations Economic
and Social Council to systematically monitor illicit financial flows and
strengthen financial integrity for sustainable development, with the
participation of all relevant stakeholders.
Mr. President,
35. On the issue of debt, we have
seen that developing countries have been faced with unsustainable debt burdens
even before the pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic has increased the risk of new
wave of deepening debt, where vital public financial resources are allocated to
external debt servicing and repayments at the expense of domestic health and
financing for critical developmental needs.
36. I must commend the current
initiatives by the international financial institutions and the G20 aimed at
significantly mitigating the economic situation of the indebted countries and
urge for more efforts in this regard.
37. Therefore, there is an urgent
need to consider expansion and extension of the Debt Service
SuspensionInitiative to include all Developing, Least Developed Countries and
Small Island Developing States facing fiscal and liquidity challenges. In
addition, a review of the eligibility criteria for debt suspension, including
outright cancellation, is needed for countries facing the most severe
challenges.
Mr. President,
38. Nigeriareaffirms that
international trade is an engine for development and sustained economic growth,
as well as the global eradication of poverty.
39. My delegation would like to
reaffirm the critical role that a universal,rules-based, open,
non-discriminatory and equitable multilateral trading systemcan play in
stimulating economic growth and development.
40. Fair and equitable trade
would eventually eliminate the need for aid. My country and indeed all African
countries do not intend to stay indefinitely looking for aid. All we need is a
fair and equitable system of international trade.
41. We, therefore, call for a
reform agenda that will engender better recovery from this crisis, build
resilience to future shocks and pursue transformative development strategies
that can deliver the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.
Mr. President,
42. The global food system has,
in recent times, been impacted by several factors such as population growth,
availability and accessibility of arable land and water resources, climate
change, and loss of biodiversity.
43. Increased competition for
resources such as land, water, and energy, has affected food access and supply,
particularly in developing countries. Climate change and unpredictable shocks,
such as the current global pandemic, further exacerbate vulnerabilities in the
global food system, requiring the UN’s urgent attention.
44. The Government of Nigeria
remains determined to improve the productivity and incomes of small-scale
farmers by promoting equal access to land, technology and markets, sustainable
food production systems and resilient agricultural practices.
45. At the heart of Nigeria’s
post-COVID-19 response is the Economic Sustainability Plan, which hasa major
component, called the Agriculture for Food and Jobs Programme where we seek to
leverage suitable technologies to build a resilient food system for the country.
46. An integral part of our food
systems’ transformation strategy is to create an enabling and supportive
environment to implement these policies in a participatory manner.
47. Global efforts to mitigate
and sustain food systems must involve key stakeholders, including governments,
farmers, investors, multilateral organizations, regional bodies, international
financial institutions, private partners and civil society organizations.
Mr. President,
48. Nigeria has been steadfast in
safeguarding human rights, including the advancement of women, the protection
of children, the protection of the rights of people living with disabilities,
the treatment of migrants, refugees, returnees and displaced persons as well
as, the promotion of fundamental freedoms through all legitimate means. In this
regard, my delegation commends the positive example of leaders like Prime
Minister Jacinda Arden of New Zealand.
49. In this context Nigeria calls
for collective global action through a Treaty to end all forms of violence
against women and girls of all ages.
50. Nigeria remains unwavering in
its commitment to ensuring the advancement of human rights within its shores
and beyond. This is so even in the context of a vicious decade-long onslaught
by terrorists against Nigerians, quite contrary to unwholesome reports by some
who hardly verify what they state against us.
51. The recent rise in hate
related crimes globally underscores theurgent need to continue our engagement
about racism, racial discrimination,xenophobia and other related intolerance.
It is sad to note that the issue of racism remains alive globally.
52. We are beginning to forget
our affirmation of the inherent dignity and the equal and inalienable rights of
every individual as enshrined in the UN Charter. No society can claim to be
free or just if it deprive anyone of these rights.
53. Nigeria has long been a
principled fighter against racism and all forms of discrimination inspired by
its African experience. In the past, racism oiled the machine of slavery and
colonialism. Today, racism drives hate crimes and institutional discrimination.
In all this, Africans and people of African descent are among the major
victims.
54. Cognizant of these, I commend
Member States for adopting by consensus the resolution on the Establishment of
the Permanent Forum of People of African Descent on 2nd August 2021. I am
confident that this forum will make significant impact in the quest to end
race-related vices and injustices.
Mr. President,
55. No reform of the United Nations
system is more urgent than that of the Security Council. Stakeholders around
the world are asking how such power could be concentrated, with scant
representation. The intergovernmental negotiations have taken too long, some 15
years. We must avoid going in cycles. Consensus has been achieved in some of
the elements of this reform, especially that of the representation of Africa on
the basis of the Elzuwini consensus and the Sirte Declaration. It is
unreasonable to expect unanimity in this matter. The issue, indeed, is about
justice, not unanimity. Without justice, the legitimacy (even efficacy) of our
Organization is called to question. We can and must make substantial,
irreversible progress on Security Council reform in the current session.
Mr. President,
56. Connected to this, is the
question of justice, fairness, and equity in respect of the Palestinian people.
The situation in the Middle East is long-standing and gives cause for concern.
Nigeria encourages Israel and Palestine to re-engage in dialogue based on
relevant UNresolutions and Initiatives. The two-state solution has the support
of the international community and is widely acknowledged as the path to
lasting peace.
Mr President,
57. Our organization is at the
peak of the multilateral system. It is also the pre-eminent body for solving
our current and emerging challenges, and developing norms that are protective
of us all. We need to re-commit to it, rejuvenate it to better serve us.
Nigeria re-affirms its faith in the UnitedNations and is further resolved to
continue to work with all Member-States for peace and security, development and
the protection of human rights. In the current moment, hope for these, is
dependent on how we assist each other to get COVID-19 out of all countries,
regardless of their classification. We can and must do so.
58. In this regard, let me close
my statement by paying special tribute to a great and humane internationalist,
and an exemplary practitioner of multilateral cooperation. I am speaking of
Chancellor Angela Merkel of theFederal Republic of Germany. As she exits the
stage, we wish her well.
I thank you.
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