Madam Chairperson,

Please permit me to congratulate you on your election as Chairman of our Governing Council. Let me also congratulate members of the Bureau and to assure you of my Delegation’s cooperation and support.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Mr Fawzi Al-Sultan, out-going President of IFAD, for his outstanding work in this organisation. I also wish to thank the entire staff for their hard work in keeping IFAD strong.

Madam Chairperson,

For the past three years, I have been reporting on the conflict in Sierra Leone and had confirmed that, my government has drawn the attention of the international community to the nature of the crisis in my country.

We have said time and time again that, the crisis has never been an internal conflict, rather, it has been and is a regional conflict. As I speak to you today, Guinea is now experiencing the same problem we had in Sierra Leone. The conflict has been an attempt made by a group of countries and individuals to deny the people of Sierra Leone not only to choose their own government but also to deny them the right to enjoy their national wealth.

I am happy to state that after ten long years, the international community has risen up to its obligation by having a peacekeeping force in Sierra Leone as well as setting up a UN Special Panel that assess the overall situation in the country and report to the UN Security Council. The report submitted by this Panel, as you would have noticed, confirmed all that we have been saying for the past ten years.

My government is grateful for this action by the United Nations and other international bodies as well as friendly countries like the Nigeria, USA, Germany, Italy, Canada and China etc.. We are even more grateful to the United Kingdom for their outstanding support to the government and people of Sierra Leone. We would ask that other powers do emulate the British example so as to have this problem sorted out once and for all.

Madam Chairperson,

The countryside continues to be ravaged; though less frequent, by the so-called rebels and their actions continue to hinder the productive food sector of the population resulting in Food Insecurity. IFAD, which is funding some of the projects in the country, could not go to some of the project areas because of insecurity. We will urge the international community not to relent in their support for a lasting peace in Sierra Leone.

The Obstacle to Peace

Madam Chairperson,

Although, currently, there is some semblance of calm in some areas of the county, the threat to peace and security in these areas and other areas still under strife is still around us.

One such threat, which, is a serious one is the plight of thousands of our people, refugees who find themselves caught between cross border raids by armed elements in southern Guinea. To us the aim and objective of those elements and those who provide them with material, financial and logistic support in exchange of our diamonds, is to derail the on going peace process and destabilize the whole sub-region. You may recall that these people were already uprooted from their towns and villages during the past years of the rebel war activities in our country.

I wish to inform that, the priority of my government now is to secure the safe return of these refugees back in the country. Meanwhile, there is the obvious problem of having to resettle these people; a problem compounded by the fact that many of them have had their homes destroyed by rebels.

Mr. Chairman,

The link between peace, security and development is clearly manifested in the current status of these refugees and the internally displaced persons.

In this regard, the help of the international community in devising strategies and assistance in partnership with my government in coping with this new human tragedy is requested so as to reduce the suffering of these returnees.

Another area that is also a threat and obstacle to peace is the recent call by some, for a so-called Government of National Unity without any regard for the on-going progress made toward peace and reconciliation by the current government. This new development, has the effect of stalling the meagre gains my government has made in ensuring long lasting peace and stability. There is already a government of national unity in Sierra Leone, which is the MOST inclusive, compared to any other government in post –independence Sierra Leone.

My government, therefore, does not think that the simple distribution of Cabinet and other positions to rebels groups and opposition party members is the answer to the peace process. This action was one of the main pillars of the Lome Peace Accord which has been implemented in a government of national unity. However, the major problem now is one of getting RID of the WEAPONS from armed groups and uniting the people of Sierra Leone so they could respect the civil rights of their fellow countrymen.

Weapons

Madam Chairperson,

I have in the past explained in great detail how weapons have become a threat to IFAD, FAO, WFP and other International organisations that are assisting the people of Sierra Leone in rehabilitation and attaining basic Food Security. The simple fact that IFAD staff has not been able to go into project areas they are funding in Sierra Leone is a clear case of this threat.

For the past several years, I have made calls on the international community that Arms Dealers should be treated the same way Drug Dealers are treated as they are all one and the same, bent only towards the destruction of human life. I am pleased with the progress made by the United Nations towards this problem especially at the high level political signing conference for the United Nations convention against transactional organised crime in Palermo, Italy. In addition, the recent legislation by the United Kingdom to crackdown on groups operating within its territories to destabilize countries like ours is also a very bold and welcomed initiative. We hope that other countries would follow the British example.

The Budget

My past comments on the Budget were useful in helping IFAD focus its attention to regions that require greater help. I believe those comments continue to play a part and that they were taken in good faith.

Debt Burden

Madam Chairperson, we know here that most African and Third World countries are still facing severe economic problems. The Debt Burden, the unfavourable balances of Trade and Payment as well as unfavourable market prices of our products on the world market have all contributed to the deterioration of our economic conditions. Let me repeat here those, external factors as well as bad policies and political instability caused by various kinds of civil strife have all contributed to the severe economic difficulties facing us.

Globalisation and Trade Liberalisation

Madam Chairperson,

During the 1999 Governing Council, I stated that our countries have not done well and will continue to be at a disadvantaged position if the trends and attitudes are not changed on the part of the developed and industrialised countries. We have been told that Globalisation is both an Opportunity and a Threat.

For countries in Africa, I stated then, that this has become a Real Threat.

This is so because, while Globalisation implies that Trade barrier are brought down and domestic policies are market responsive, the major producers and exporter of agricultural commodities still continue to enact policies that run counter to this principle and as a result, welfare gains in these countries are at the expense of developing countries like Sierra Leone.

I am pleased that the Secretary General of the United Nations, Mr Kofi Annan, has confirmed this in his statement during the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. It is my hope that the statement of the Secretary General will help in bringing about a change in the attitude of the developed and industrialised countries to enable our developing and Third World countries to benefit from the fruits of Globalisation and Trade Liberalisation.

Madam Chairperson,

Having made these remarks, I now wish to turn to another equally important area affecting not only Sierra Leone but also Africa as a whole. Noting from my previous statements, IFAD has not taken into account our concerns in the level of the Regional Representation in its staffing. As I have stated before, Africans know their problems best and the need to build the African Representation and confidence in all levels within IFAD is paramount. This same issue has been brought to the forefront in other organizations. Unless Africans are given the opportunity and encouragement, IFAD with all its efforts may be a long way from meeting its goal in assisting Africans in solving their many problems.

I had given the example of Magbosi Integrated Agricultural Development project which was managed by Sierra Leoneans, not minding the fact that other similar African development projects were (10) ten years in existence before Magbosi and all of them managed by foreign nationals. IFAD and other donors became aware that the Magbosi project was not only the most successful but also laid the foundation of development in the region which has survived all economic crisis.

This example, Madam Chairperson, drives home the point that development in Africa can materialise only if the Africans are given the opportunity to actively participate in the process of development and in particular in decision making process.

Finally, I wish to urge IFAD to seek further collaboration with institutions in the region that are relevant to our development process and to continue its support not only in terms of project realisation in our continent but also in the area of Regional Representation, which till now is lacking.

I thank you.

STATEMENT by H. E. Umaru B. Wurie
AMBASSADOR AND PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE Of THE REPUBLIC OF SIERRA LEONE