President Pohamba bids farewell to UN
Post Zambia, 28 September 2014
Please click here for the President's full speech.
NAMIBIA’S President Hifikepunye Pohamba bade farewell to the United Nations on Friday as his tenure as President of the Southern African nation nears its end. President Pohamba used his final address to the United Nations General Assembly to ask the US to end its unilateral economic embargo against Cuba.
He further informed the world that Namibia had contributed Namibian $11 million towards the fight against Ebola ravaging West Africa.
“As prescribed by the Namibian Constitution, I have the honour to inform Your Excellencies that my term of office as President will come to an end early next year. Therefore, this is the last time that I address the General Assembly as President of Namibia,” President Pohamba told the 69th Session of the UN General Assembly in New York on Friday. “I would like to thank Your Excellencies Heads of State and Government for the excellent co-operation that you have rendered to me and my country during my tenure of office. I trust that you will extend the same cooperation to my successor.”
He said ongoing efforts to reform the UN system particularly the Security Council must be concluded without further delay in order to reflect the contemporary geo-political realities. President Pohamba said Namibia remained concerned about the political instability and armed conflicts in South Sudan, Somalia, Mali and the Central African Republic. However, he said the success achieved by the DRC government, MONUSCO (UN peace-keeping mission) and the SADC Intervention Brigade in neutralizing the negative forces in the eastern part of the DRC was encouraging.
President Pohamba supported the participation of women in peace-keeping and peace-building operations around the world. He said presently Namibia had deployed one of the largest female police contingents to the African Union/United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur. “Namibia continues to call for the lifting of the economic embargo against Cuba,” he said. “The embargo is contrary to international efforts to reduce poverty and achieve MDG targets in UN member states. The listing of Cuba [by the US] as a state sponsor of international terrorism is not justifiable and should not be accepted. We call for the full implementation of all relevant UN resolutions on Western Sahara and Palestine. The international community must fulfil its obligations and assist the people of Western Sahara and Palestine realise their inalienable rights to self-determination.”
President Pohamba condemned the abduction of more than 200 girls and other innocent people by Boko Haram in Nigeria, and called for their immediate and unconditional release.
“We support international efforts to combat Ebola disease in some African countries. Towards this end, Namibia has contributed an amount of N$11 million to the fight against the deadly epidemic,” said President Pohamba.