UNESCO. General Conference; 30th; Records ... - unesdoc - Unesco

emind the world that the war, with its pillage, destruction and slaughter, is still going on. The Somali people have
been enduring this torment for nine years now, and during the whole of that time, children have not been going to
school, students have not been attending university; an entire generation has lost its natural right to education. You
must know that all wars, civil or otherwise, are inherently evil. This particular war has been characterized by
atrocities and crimes against humanity. Women have been raped, entire cities and villages have been systematically
emptied of their original inhabitants. The numbers of the victims have mounted into the hundreds of thousands.
Needless to say, these crimes have been committed by specific criminals. There are persons who are responsible for
what has happened, and I should like to associate myself with those who have asked the United Nations and the
international community to establish an international tribunal for war crimes in Somalia, to conduct investigations
and determine responsibility. The Somali people, ladies and gentlemen, is being held hostage by warlords and their
militias who are wreaking havoc in the land. This is the situation in Somalia as we stand at the gateway to the
twenty-first century. I have no doubt that you are all well aware of this tragedy afflicting the Somali people in the
age of globalization, but I wished to speak out to ask the international community, once again, to take action to
rescue an entire people from the talons of the merchants of death.
(33.4) In recent times, civil, racial and regional wars have broken out in many parts of the world, especially the
Balkan region. Fortunately, most of them have been settled as a result of positive action on the part of the
international community, which has worked to put a stop to the bloodshed and ethnic cleansing. Naturally, I hail
and congratulate the international community, most notably the United States, Europe and the United Nations, for
these humanitarian efforts; I hope that the peoples of the regions concerned will henceforth be able to live in peace
and stability. But may we not reasonably ask, ladies and gentlemen, why in one particular region and not in
another? Is the war in Somalia really so far away as all that? Is that why the media do not tell us about it, and why
we do not read of its atrocities in our newspapers? Or is it not a crime for a person to kill his brother? Or is this a
case of a double standard? At this point I must express my appreciation for the efforts that have been made by
neighbouring States, sister countries and regional organizations, including the Intergovernmental Authority on
Development (IGAD), the League of Arab States and others. IGAD, in particular, has undertaken a series of honest
initiatives aimed at finding a political solution to the civil war in Somalia. I should like to make special mention of
President Ismail Omar Guelleh, President of the Republic of Djibouti, who has called for an end to the conflict. My
delegation wholeheartedly supports this initiative. I invite all our friends, all persons of goodwill and the
international community to support President Guelleh’s plan for a just and lasting peace in Somalia.
(33.5) Despite this dark picture of destruction and misery, the Somali people have not lost hope of emerging
from their nightmare, and there are some regions that have begun to see light at the end of the tunnel. Peace and
stability have begun to return, and local administrations are beginning to reappear and are dealing, with patience
and dedication, with local issues; rebuilding is taking place. This is happening mainly in the northwest, around
Hargeisa, and in the northeast, around Garoowe. I should like to take this opportunity to ask the international
community to help these more secure regions in their efforts to build and develop, in the hope that they may serve
as examples for other regions to follow, a nucleus for the rebuilding of the new unified Somalia.
(33.6) In conclusion, ladies and gentlemen, as we stand at the gateway to the third millennium, celebrating the
International Year for the Culture of Peace, I should like to do what I did a number of years ago: call upon the
international community and all civilized States at this Conference to join with us in working to enable Somalis, at
last, to enjoy their right to peace, security and dignity - or rather, more simply still, their human right to life and
existence.
(L'orateur poursuit en français)
33.7 Excusez-moi, mon discours a été un peu spécial. Ma situation elle-même est exceptionnelle. Je ne sais
pas si je suis Don Quichotte ou le dernier des Mohicans, mais je sais qu'il y a un combat à mener. Laissez-moi
rêver. Peut-être suis-je le premier-né de la nouvelle Somalie qui pourra affronter ce troisième millénaire avec de
nouvelles armes après avoir vécu cette expérience sanglante. Cette Somalie sera peut-être fédérale ou
confédérale, mais elle sera démocratique. Sûrement, elle existera. J'ai tout simplement voulu lancer un cri, un cri
d'alarme dans cette maison de la conscience internationale. Il faut aider le peuple somalien à venir à bout de cette
situation. S'il y a un droit d'ingérence, pourquoi n'y aurait-il pas aussi un devoir d'ingérence ? Je vous remercie.
34. The PRESIDENT:
I thank His Excellency, the Ambassador of Somalia to UNESCO. May I please urge future speakers to
respect the agreed time limit for statements. We still have a considerable list of speakers ahead of us, and also a
number of receptions, so compliance with the speaking time would be very much appreciated by the Chair. The
next speaker on my list is Her Excellency the Honourable Mia Amor Mottley, Minister for Education, Youth
Affairs and Culture of Barbados. May I invite you to speak to us.
35.1 Ms MOTTLEY (Barbados):
Mr President, Mr Chairperson of the Executive Board, Mr Director-General, ministers, ambassadors,
representatives, ladies and gentlemen, please let me ask you, Mr President to convey my congratulations to
Ms Moserová, who was elected to chair this General Conference. This 30th session of the General Conference is
469
13