STATEMENT OF H.E. MR. M. MORSHED KHAN, MP,
THE HON'BLE FOREIGN MINISTER OF BANGLADESH AT
THE XIVth SUMMIT OF THE NON-ALIGNED MOVEMENT

HAVANA, 15-16 SEPTEMBER 2006

Mr. Chairman,
Excellencies,
Distinguished delegates, guests and observers,
Ladies and gentlemen:

At the outset please allow me to inform you Mr. Chairman that it was the sincere desire of Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia to lead the Bangladesh delegation to the 14th NAM Summit in Havana.

However due to urgent domestic preoccupations and the forthcoming national elections in our country, she was constrained to revise her decision to participate at this Meeting for which she has asked me to convey her most sincere regrets. I would now like to avail this opportunity to read out, on behalf of Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia, her statement for the Summit.

QUOTE:

Your Excellency, Chairman of the 14th Nam Summit, Twenty six years ago my late husband Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman had visited Havana as leader of the Bangladesh delegation to the Sixth Summit of the Non Aligned Movement. That Summit was held when the world was sharply divided on ideological doctrines and military alliances. Your leadership in keeping the NAM member countries clear from the two divides in the most trying of circumstances, was one of the hallmarks of the 6th Summit.

Today as I address the 14th Summit in 2006, we can see that the world we knew in 1979 has undergone drastic changes. A new century is in place and new challenges have emerged, some very formidable and difficult. The changes and challenges have not however undermined NAM, rather enhanced its continued relevance. It is my firm belief that the outcome of the 14th Summit under your wise stewardship will provide a Road Map for attaining our objectives. Your inaugural speech has already set the tone towards this direction.

Excellencies,

We are indeed most happy and delighted to place the Movement in your able hands. You are an icon of the NAM and the last among the surviving founding fathers. The 14th Summit will therefore go down as a milestone in NAM's history. I also take this opportunity to thank the Government of Cuba for the excellent arrangements and warm hospitality extended to my delegation.

Felicitations are also owed to the Prime Minister of Malaysia, the Honourbale Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, whose able leadership in the past three years has given NAM new directions.

Mr. Chairman,

The carnage in Lebanon and the unethical, unlawful and immoral act of aggression perpetrated by Israel last month raises the question of double standards. What international law permits this indiscriminate massacre of innocent civilians in Lebanon? Why the Western powers advocate the virtues of a rule based society when they do little to establish rule of law in inter-state relations?

The invasion of Lebanon is not just an Arab-Israeli issue, nor should be seen as a clash between the two civilizations. It is rather the struggle for survival for the weak against the tyranny of the strong and powerful. Our Movement does not represent any particular ideology or a civilization. It, if anything, epitomizes a unity, a collective will against unjust and unfair actions of all forms and manifestations. The same philosophical and ideological underpinning unites us today to condemn the Israeli aggression and call for restoration of full sovereignty of the Lebanese people.

Mr. Chairman,

The Movement has long been unified in its demand for the just and speedy resolution of the Palestinian issue. Too many people have been radicalized by feelings of gross political injustice. We should remain unwavering in our conviction that force alone will not solve the problem. A lasting solution to the gross injustices in the region cannot be delayed any further.

Excellencies,

One area of concern for all of us that we are observing a new height in military spending worldwide, surpassing the level that we experienced during the cold war. The world now spends nearly a trillion dollar a year on military and the UN spends about $10 billion each year on all its development efforts combined. Putting this in perspective, the entire UN system's development budget is, then, just about 1% of global military budget. By UNICEF's estimate, if the world reduces its military spending by 1%, it would generate enough cash flow to eradicate illiteracy worldwide. A 10% decline would have been sufficient to help achieve all the Millennium Development Goals worldwide. Our Movement cannot afford to ignore the negative externality of this rising military expenditure.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

We are also witnessing economic polarization in this world. The gap between the rich and poor countries have widened since colonialism ended in the aftermath of the World War II. In 1965, the average per capita income of the OECD countries was roughly 50 times more than that of the low-income countries. The average OECD income is now nearly 70 times higher than the income of the low-income countries. Even within the developing countries, the gap between the rich and the poor are widening, with the poor and vulnerable paying the high price for economic and financial liberalization. Social justice has remained elusive. These days, we cannot isolate economics from politics and politics from development. Security today - global, regional or local - is an all-encompassing issue. Political security goes hand in hand with economic security. It is time that we address the imperatives of economic security more decisively and constructively.

Mr. Chairman,

There is an increasing recognition that migration and workers remittances can help poorer countries combat poverty and support their development efforts. Free movement of people makes strong economic sense because it increases the welfare of both the receiving and sending states. NAM, as the largest Movement in the world, needs to address the migration issue and the rights of the migrant workers more vigorously. There is considerable opportunity for migration within and among the NAM member countries and we must resolve to explore this new avenue of collaboration.

Excellencies,

Let us not forget that NAM is largely a Movement of low and middle-income countries. As a Movement, we are likely to achieve little if we do not focus on economic cooperation and development. It is easier said than done, especially when fellow NAM members export same product lines and compete for the same segments of the world market. For us, the challenge is to identify our respective comparative advantages and specialize accordingly. It is also important for the NAM countries to take a common stand in multilateral trade negotiations and push for special and differential treatment for the LDCs. After all, almost all the LDCs are members of NAM and collectively, they represent nearly 40% of NAM membership. G-77 and China can play a critical role in the UN and other forums to further the economic interests of the developing countries particularly for the LDCs.

Mr. Chairman,

With great fanfare, the G-8 countries declared debt cancellation for the poor countries. But debt relief alone will not foster development, unless there is continued financial and technical support from the Western countries. For this, the richer nations must increase their Overseas Development Assistance as per the commitments they made and work with their development partners to improve aid effectiveness. They should also come forward with 'aid for trade' for capacity building in the developing countries so that the latter can protect their interests in bilateral and multilateral trade negotiations. We are worried about the present status of WTO negotiations where the interests of most of our countries remain largely ignored.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

As a developing country, Bangladesh has made significant strides in poverty reduction and in meeting the millennium development goals. We have ensured gender parity in primary and secondary school enrolment. This is Goal 2 of the eight MDGs that we accepted during the Millennium Summit. To achieve further empowerment of women, my government is striving to make female education free even at the post secondary level. We have also secured safe drinking water for our people - another important development goal. Our achievements do not make us complacent. We still have a long way to go, especially to ensure education and health for all and improve the living standards of our people. We are also confronted with the menace of militancy and terrorism. Militants and extremists, unfortunately, do not observe the due process of law, nor do they have any respect for human lives. Fighting them not only requires resolve, but also alacrity and steadfastness.

Excellencies,

Bangladesh unequivocally condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. We have ratified 12 of the 13 UN anti-terrorism conventions and are working on ratifying the recently adopted one. At the global level, it is an imperative to continue our efforts to conclude a comprehensive convention on terrorism that address all relevant issues, including the adoption of counter-terrorism strategy that would have full respect for human rights.

Mr. Chairman,

We in the Movement should work closely for reform of the United Nations. We need a UN, which is much better suited to respond to our development and security concerns. We remain convinced that the persistent and constructive engagement of our Movement will result in a revitalized UN more reflective of our hopes and aspirations.

Mr. Chairman,

We remain convinced that your visionary leadership will surely make NAM a force that will provide guidance and impetus in overcoming many of the current imbalances and inequities. Before concluding, I would like to share my vision of the challenges that NAM should address in the coming days,

a. First, find a just, equitable and lasting solution to the Middle East problem, ensuring full sovereignty of the Palestinian people.

b. Second, focus on pro poor and pro-development trade, especially in WTO and other multilateral forums, urging the developed world to expand ODA, FDI, 'aid for trade' and facilitate market access for the least developed countries;

c. Third, revitalize global disarmament initiatives to increase ODA and finance development

d. Fourth, reinvigorate the UN and restore it's position as the Central Organ for the cooperative management of the World's Problems.

e. Fifth, take concrete measures to root out terrorism in all forms and manifestations, addressing the underlying causes of terrorism without propagating prejudices against particular groups, ethnicity or civilization;

f. Sixth, enhance South-South Cooperation with special emphasis on movement of people and the rights of migrant workers;

g. And last, but not the least, renew our commitment to establish a world order on the basis of mutual respect, sovereign equality and rule of law.

Let me end here with a call for the distinguished delegates to revitalize the Movement and take a holistic approach to ensure peace, security and development. We cannot achieve one without the other.

UNQUOTE

Thank you.