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Africa News afrol News
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Africa News afrol News
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afrol.com, 6 September 2000 - There has been released much glorifying news from the UN and the participating States about the historic moment the Millennium Summit constitutes. However, the price tab of having over 150 extravagant state leaders talking, lodging and shopping in New York probably never will be released. Experts are pessimistic when it comes to assessing the possible results of the summit. It might very well be that in short time, we will not call it the Millennium Summit, but the Great Millennium Party. - The United Nations Millennium Summit will start tomorrow in this Plenary Hall, an enthusiastic UN General Assembly President Theo-Ben Gurirab (Namibia) yesterday said on the closing meeting of the fifty-fourth session of the Assembly. "It is, indeed, a historic moment, both for the United Nations and humanity at large. By the time the general debate starts next week, we will celebrate its outcome and pay tribute to the world leaders for their collective will towards world peace, cooperation, development and for their reaffirmation of support for the United Nations." In the Oxfam report "Millennium Summit: closing the credibility gap?" optimism is modest. "At the start of the 21st century, the world has the resources to eliminate poverty, and finally deliver the vision of the founders of the UN. Despite the enormous wealth being generated by globalisation, however, we are currently failing in this task. This is not the fault of the UN, but rather, of the governments whose actions do not match the fine words they have espoused at international conferences over the last decade. Powerful governments preach market access, but practice protectionism; they proclaim the values of universal education but will not act to deliver it; and they speak the language of peace, while failing to consistently uphold the rights of the victims of conflict." - The Millennium Summit will adopt a final declaration. It is expected to be a politically authoritative document of an historic import, commensurate with the uniqueness of the Summit itself for all times, Theo-Ben Gurirab (UN) on the other hand promises. UN Secretary-General has further promised to give equal weight to the voices of developing countries as to the rich countries. Every national delegation is to speak for 5 minutes! In his strive for equality, other principles of humanity are forgotten. Among the leaders addressing the UN Assembly, one finds anything from highly honored presidents to outright criminals. Several of the participating leaders are accused of crimes against humanity and are personally responsible for murder and torture. Next to the honorable South African Thabo Mbeki, one of the worst dictators of the world, Teodoro Obiang from Equatorial Guinea, will be honored in the same manner. Next to an honorable Abdoulaye Wade (Senegal), which indeed is genuinely interested in promoting international cooperation, one can find undemocratically dictators such as Yayah Jammeh from neighbouring Gambia and Lieutenant General Omer Hassan Ahmed Al-Bashir from Sudan, responsible for bombing and starving his own population.. You'll find the crown prince of Morocco, Prince Moulay Rachid, on the summit, but there is a total absence of any delegation from Moroccan occupied Western Sahara. The UN, in its rhetoric, condemns this occupation. Isn't it a shame in the name of those oppressed by these scrupulous leaders? Is it acceptable that on a day like this, these heads of state are all equal? All welcome? All allowed to consolidate their role as legitimate heads of states? All allowed to have their picture taken next to the most powerful in the world, so that their national news media can reproduce it at home and let everybody know that they have full international support when exploiting their people? Namibian organizer Theo-Ben Gurirab feels that in certain matters, there is need for "extra emphasis of what I considered to be their critical impact on the United Nations, its Member States and the world at large. Those issues included United Nations reform; humanitarian intervention; women’s rights; the plight of children; HIV/AIDS pandemic; poverty eradication; debt burden; financing for development; and enhancement of the authority and integrity of the General Assembly." Yes. We couldn't agree more. However, all these matters have been discussed in a great number of UN summits, with great rhetoric. Wonderful promises have been made. They almost never have been followed up, a point which is documented in the Oxfam report. And who thinks that the participation of Afghanistan to the summit will have any effect on women's rights in that country? Or human rights in Equatorial Guinea? Or poverty eradication in Rwanda? Or HIV/AIDS in Botswana? Or... Next week, we probably can congratulate Mrs. Obiang (the first lady of Equatorial Guinea) with a new wardrobe, generously paid by the oil company Mobil (sponsoring the journey of the national delegation) and we can congratulate President Jammeh (The Gambia) of having made even more heads of state forget that the topics that matter in The Gambia are democracy and human rights, not the country's contribution to reforming the UN. This UN summit will probably be the most expensive celebration of state leaders ever, and its results are indeed doubtful. It is difficult to see it as anything else than state leaders celebrating themselves and their hold on power, and a totally uncritical UN legitimating the present power-holders.
Yours sincerely,
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