The Chronicle INTERVIEW.

The president of the fifty-fourth session of the United Nations General Assembly, Dr. Theo-Ben Gurirab, is Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Namibia, a post he has held since his country became independent on 21 March 1990, and is regarded as one of the founding fathers of the Republic.

Dr. Gurirab served for 14 years as the South West Africa People's Organization's (SWAPO) Chief Representative to the United Nations and later as its Permanent Observer. From 1986 to 1990, 4e was its Secretary for Foreign Affairs.

Russell Taylor of the UN Chronicle spoke with Dr. Gurirab on the phone at his residence in Namibia on 30 July.

Excellency, you will be presiding over the first session of the General Assembly [GA] to straddle two millennia. What do you see as some of the major challenges before this fifty-fourth session?

We will reach the crossroads of the old and the new millennia, but the world will not really have changed much. There will still be old problems, and the new millennium will come with new challenges. The world we have is one of industrialized countries and developing countries, of rich countries and poor countries, of small countries and big countries, of those who have power and those who do not, of those who have capital and technology and those who need them but have different priorities.

I see the United Nations, in spite of all that, as an effective catalyst. Where it is not effective, it is not because of the institution; it is because of the shortcomings of the Member States. The UN is still a force for social change. It must spearhead a worldwide campaign to reach the poor and the needy, the neglected, those who live in developing countries, and instil in them hope for the future, empower them to do things for themselves, and mobilize and deliver resources to them. I see a world in which, on top of poverty and backwardness, AIDS and crime are increasingly destroying the lives of youth, children, even babies. That is one of the major challenges now facing the UN--and obviously the situation may go from bad to worse in the future.

In light of globalization, how do you feel developing countries can best represent their interests and future?

There is an imperative for unity and solidarity. That is where the Non-Aligned Movement comes in. That is where the G-77 (Group of 77) and China come in. We are seeing, increasingly of late, efforts being made by developing countries, member States of NAM, to establish synergies and linkages to consolidate their position in dealing with globalization. Globalization has come; it is here to stay; it is a force to be reckoned with. But it is my view that if globalization is going to be the decisive factor in the emerging world order, it must have a human face, it must be about empowerment for the people, it must be about transparency and democracy. And I hope, therefore, that it has strengthened enough countries in the coordination of their policies and their negotiating positions in a way that also strengthens their efforts to make a difference in what globalization becomes in the future.

Some felt in the past that democracy, human rights and good governance were used as a rationale by developed countries to get involved in the internal affairs of developing countries. Recently, your contribution to the promotion of human rights, peace and development in Namibia was recognized by the World Association of former United Nations Interns and Fellows. Have attitudes changed?

Foreign interference and intervention are phenomena that have been a part of life for centuries. Coming out of the background of a long struggle for the political independence of my country, I personally believe that that struggle and those preceding it were actually about human rights, political freedom, democracy, the rule of law and good governance. Our human rights were not recognized and there was no democracy. Even those colonial powers that practiced and lived by democracy in the old country did not think of it when they were dealing with their colonies and people outside of their immediate neighbourhood. In the truest sense of the word, we, from the developing countries, the former colonies, the victims of Europe and America, are the champions of these noble, universal ideas. I subscribe wholly to all of them. It does not mean that we should be defensive when fingers are pointed at those countries and leaders who are practicing dictatorships, who have corrupt governments, who do not think about the w ell-being of the people, while...