President Muhammadu Buhari addressing members states of United Nations’ General Assembly at Nelson Mandela Peace Summit in New York
– Nigeria seeks expansion of Security Council
President Muhammadu Buhari has called on world leaders to emulate values of former South African President, Nelson Mandela, by prioritising dignity in their quest to ensure just, peaceful and inclusive governance to all.
Buhari, who spoke at the Nelson Mandela Peace Summit in New York, said the centenary celebration of Mandela was an opportunity for the leaders to rededicate themselves to the service of humanity by championing democracy, conflict resolution, disarmament, mutual respect, reconciliation, gender equality and the fight against poverty.
The Nigerian president, who urged world leaders to look beyond diverse challenges in climate change, terrorism, desertification, poverty, arms trafficking and extremism, opined that hope is guaranteed if inspiration is drawn from Mandela whose life symbolised uncommon humility, compassion, courage and forgiveness.
“It is within this ethos of the great Mandela that we place this declaration. We must, therefore, make concerted efforts to build a just, peaceful, prosperous and inclusive and fair world and revert to the values for which Nelson Mandela stood by placing human dignity at the centre of our action.
“There is no doubt that in the quest to attain peace and development, the world will draw inspiration from the likes of Nelson Mandela.”
Buhari who affirmed that the United Nations is built on pillars of peace and security, development and human rights, urged world leaders to embrace the principles in their countries for sustainable development.
“There can be no peace without sustainable development and no sustainable development without peace and full respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms for all.”
President Buhari stated that “Nigeria is committed to the promotion and protection of the rights of all women as well as providing an enabling environment for them to realize their full potentials.”
He further declared: “We declare that racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance present the very opposite of the noble purpose of the United Nations.
We recognize that tolerance of cultural, ethnic, racial, religious diversities are essential for lasting peace, understanding and friendship among peoples, nations, cultures and individuals.”
Buhari observed that even though the world is facing diverse challenges ranging from conflicts, climate change, terrorism, desertification, poverty, arms trafficking and extremism among others, it is a time of great hope and renaissance if inspiration is drawn from Mandela whose lifestyle he said symbolized uncommon humility, compassion, courage and forgiveness.
Quoting a statement that Mandela made during his trial when faced with the death penalty, the President said: “During my life time, I have dedicated myself to this struggle of African people. I have fought against white domination and I have fought against black domination.
I have cherished the ideals of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony with equal opportunity. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and see realized. But if need be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.”
Buhari added: “It is within this ethos of the great Mandela that we place this declaration. We must, therefore, make concerted efforts to build a just, peaceful, prosperous and inclusive and fair world and revert to the values for which Nelson Mandela stood by placing human dignity at the centre of our action.”
President Buhari also stated that by the declaration, the world recognizes the contribution of women to advancement of society and their contribution to the prevention and resolution of conflicts, saying that Nigeria is committed to the promotion and protection of the rights of all women as well as providing an enabling environment for them to realize their full potentials.
He further declared: “We also recognise that inherent dignity and equal and inalienable rights of all peoples of the world is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world. We declare that racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance present the very opposite of the noble purpose of the United Nations.
“We recognize that tolerance of cultural, ethnic, racial, religious diversities are essential for lasting peace, understanding and friendship among peoples, nations, cultures and individuals.
“As Mandela passes into history, we stand with him in his aspiration for a better world. It is our duty to live up to his indelible legacy by collectively holding ourselves accountable to the values and principles and hope for this declaration by striving for a just, peaceful, prosperous, democratic, fair and inclusive world.”
At the end of the summit, representatives of all 100 Heads of State and Government, Ministers, Member States and representatives of civil society declared their commitment to increasing efforts to build a just, peaceful, prosperous, inclusive, and fair world, as they paid tribute to Mandela’s celebrated qualities and service to humanity.
Also, during the opening day of the General Debate of the 73rd Session of the United Nation’s General Assembly, he advocated the reconstitution and expansion of the membership of the Security Council of the United Nations which currently has 15 member states with only five world powers as its permanent members.
Advocating a reformed and more equitable UN Security Council representative of the global community, Buhari said Nigeria had contributed its quotas to the implementation of UN’s mandates including participating in various peace-keeping missions authorised they global body in different parts of the world since 1960.
The President also advocated international cooperation towards accelerating the recovery efforts of Lake Chad Basin, and collaboration against illicit financial flows across borders as well as other forms of corruption within countries.
He maintained that the loss of the Lake Chad Basin to the negative impact of climate change was a major root cause of “intense economic competition especially between farmers and herdsmen”.
Buhari said these in his national statement as part of Nigeria’s positions on various international matters during the opening day of the General Debate of the 73rd Session of the United Nation’s General Assembly.
The President departed for New York on Sunday to attend the UNGA73.
The President’s Tuesday’s speech was made available to journalists by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina.
In his address on Tuesday, Buhari paid glowing tributes to the late seventh UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, for his invaluable contributions to global peace.
He also touched on various conflicts among nations, including the Israel-Palestine crisis and the worsening Middle-East conflicts, among others, in different parts of the world.
He called for a reformed Security Council of the UN with the expansion of the membership of both the permanent and non-permanent categories to achieve enduring peace and security.
The UN Security Council currently has five nations, namely, China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the USA, as its permanent members, with 10 non-permanent members elected for two-year terms by the General Assembly.
Buhari said the UN system being the only “institutional framework” for addressing the various challenges in the world, there is the need to make the Security Council more equitable and more representative of the global community.
He reminded the UN that Nigeria had contributed its quotas to the implementation of the mandates of the global organisation, including participating in peace-keeping missions authorised by it and the African Union in different parts of the world since the nation joined the body in 1960.
He also said his call for a reformed Security Council of the UN was in line with international consensus and in the world’s interest.
He said, “The only global institutional framework we have to address these challenges is the United Nations System.
“That is why we continue to call for the strengthening of the Organisation and making it more effective by speeding up the pace of progress towards its reform, including that of its principal organ, the Security Council.
“The reconstitution of the Council to make it more equitable and more representative of our global community is both a political and moral imperative.
“We believe that a reformed Security Council with expanded membership in both the permanent and non-permanent categories, is in accord with prevailing international consensus and it is in our collective interest to do so.
“It is high time we stopped skirting round the issue and establish achievable benchmarks and time frames for these reforms.”
The Guardian/Nigerian Tribune/Punch
