Mugabe tells UN General Assembly: ‘We are not gays!’ (ca. 2015)

Your Excellency, Mr. Morgens Lykketoft,
President of the 70th Session of the Genera] Assembly,

Your Majesties, Excellencies, Heads of State and Government,Your Excellency, Mr. Ban ki-Moon,

Secretary-General of the United Nations,Distinguished Delegates,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Comrades and Friends.

Allow me, at the outset, to extend to you, Mr. Lykketoft, my warm congratulations on your election to the high office of President of the 70th session of the General Assembly. You assume this office at a historic moment when the United Nations has just adopted an ambitious agenda for the future of humankind. The task ahead needs all hands on the deck and you can count on our cooperation and support during yourPresidency.

Mr. President,

I wish to commend Mr. Sam Kutesa, a distinguished son of Africa, for the dynamism with which he steered this augustbody over the past year. We particularly appreciated his leadership in promoting inclusive dialogue and seeking consensus on the many sensitive issues that he presided over during his tenure.

The theme for this session, “The United Nations at 70: the road ahead for peace, security and human rights”, aptlycomplements the deliberations of the Summit meeting on thePost-2015 Development Agenda. It is our expectation that the United Nations will draw from its seven decades long experiences to give birth to a new era of peace, equality and justice, a new era that recognises and fosters the commonality of our common fate through renewed international cooperation and solidarity.

Mr. President,

The African Union welcomes the priorities you have proposed for they are in tandem with our own developmental plan, theAgenda 2063, which recognises the intrinsic and inextricablelinkages between peace, security, development, and the full realisation of human rights.

The African Union Constitutive Act recognises that, whilepeace and security are imperative for our progress, conflict is a major impediment to the socio-economic advancement and integration of the continent. Consequently, the CommonAfrican Position (CAP) on the post-2015 development agenda,designates “Peace and Security” as one of its six key pillars, and a top priority for us. The prevalence of peace, not only creates conducive conditions for development, but also ensures that the maximum possible resources can be dedicated to development programmes and projects. We welcome and encourage the continued cooperation between the UnitedNations and the African Union (AU), principally through thelatter’s Peace and Security Council, in advancing peace and security in Africa.

Mr. President,

In January this year, the leaders of the African Union adopted Agenda 2063, as our continent’s plan to accelerate deepenedeconomic integration of our countries and regions. Its mainobjective is to improve the well-being of the continent’s citizenry through sustained and balanced economic growth.

At the AU Summit in Pretoria, South Africa, in June this year, 3 we agreed on the Agenda’s first ten year development plan.During these initial ten years, the flagship programmes will include the creation of a Continental Free Trade Area, the African Centre for Disease Control, a Pan-Africa University ofScience and Technology (to develop skills for the value addition and beneficiation of the continent’s vast mineral resources), a Single Aviation Market, a High Speed Train, and a Pan African E-Network.

The successful implementation of Agenda 2063 calls, not justfor the commitment of African stakeholders, but also for the support and engagement of partners beyond the borders of our continent. Africa is not looking for handouts. Rather, it is looking for partners in massive infrastructural development, in creating and exploiting the value chains from its God-given natural resources, and in improving the quality of life of the continent’s citizens. The entire world stands to benefit from an economically empowered African continent, than from one emasculated by deprivation and with an over-dependence on others.

Mr. President,

Adaptation to change is the most crucial ingredient for thevibrancy and effectiveness of any organisation, including theUnited Nations. While the world has drastically changed since 1945, the United Nations, and indeed the global governance architecture, remains mired in a long bygone era. This archaic hierarchy among nations threatens to erode the confidence andsupport that the United Nations commands among themajority, but disadvantaged, of its membership. We are disappointed that we have lost the opportunity of this anniversary to address this burning issue of the reform of the United Nations Security Council in a manner that satisfies the just demands and expectations of the majority among us.

I wish to reiterate our strong attachment to Africa’s common position on the reform of the Security Council, contained in the Ezulwini Consensus and the Sirte Declaration. I call on all genuine friends of Africa and al! those who value justice, fairness and democracy to support Africa’s just and reasonableproposals.

Mr. President,

We equally call for the revitalisation of the General Assembly,the sole universally representative and democratic organ of the United Nations, so that it can effectively carry out its Charter- mandated responsibilities. Accordingly, we fully support the call for inclusivity and transparency in selecting our organisation’s Secretary-General, by ensuring that the General Assembly plays a more significant role in that process. After all, the Secretary-General is at the service of all the Member States, and not only that of an exclusive, privileged few.

Mr. President,

Respecting and upholding human rights is the obligation of allStates, and is enshrined in the United Nations Charter. Nowhere does the Charter arrogate the right to some to sit injudgement over others, in carrying out this universal obligation. In that regard, we reject the politicisation of this important issue and the application of double standards to victimise those who dare think and act independently of the self-anointed prefects of our time. We equally reject attempts to prescribe “new rights” that are contrary to our values, norms, traditions and beliefs. Cooperation and respect for each other will advance the cause of human rights worldwide. Confrontation, vilification and double standards will not.

Mr. President,

Self-determination and independence are intrinsic andfundamental rights that should be enjoyed by all peopleseverywhere, without distinction. We are deeply concerned by the continued denial of this basic right to the Saharawi people. We urge the United Nations to expeditiously finalise whatmust be done to conclude the decolonisation of the WesternSahara.

In the Middle-East, the suffering of the Palestinian people continues unabated. We reiterate our unwavering support tothe just cause of the Palestinian people. We also reiterate that lasting peace in the Middle East can only be achieved through negotiations, to achieve a two state solution based on the pre 1967 borders. We are concerned by the increase in tensions in that region, and urge the United Nations to assume its responsibility and bring an end to this senseless conflict.

Mr. President,