With development and security increasingly linked in public discourse, Seheir Kansouh-Habib speaks to former President Chissano of Mozambique about UN reform and the future of Africa Former president of Mozambique (1986- 2004), His Excellency Joaquim Chissano, is one of five prominent world leaders appointed by Kofi Annan, as special envoys of the UN secretary-general. Their mission is to engage political leaders, civil society and media around the world in the run up to the September 2005 Summit which will review progress towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), and where Annan's "In Larger Freedom" UN reform proposal will be presented to world leaders for adoption. Chissano's task is to discuss the proposed reform agenda in light of problems facing the African continent, and to encourage African countries to take bold decisions to implement and meet MDGs, especially in eradicating poverty. During his visit to Egypt, where he met President Hosni Mubarak, Beyond was granted an exclusive interview with former President Chissano. Your Excellency, it does not seem to be possible that you can visit all of the 53 countries that constitute the African continent. Which are the countries on your schedule of visits until September, and on what basis is the selection made? You will be surprised to learn that the selection of countries to visit in the region was primarily based on the availability of airline connections! The second consideration had to do with the availability of leaders. In Southern Africa, for example, I could not start with my own country, Mozambique, because of the absence of its leader. Out of four other countries I planned to visit -- Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Angola and Botswana -- I could only visit Zimbabwe and Tanzania, as the presidents of the other two countries were not available. I plan to add countries at a later stage. In North Africa, countries that responded were Algeria, Libya and Egypt. In West Africa, I met the president of Senegal while fulfilling another mission for the UN. I am arranging to go again to Senegal, Nigeria, Mali and Niger. I will also take advantage of meetings such as COMESA and the Summit of the African Union to be held next July, to further discussions. Do you share the view that poor air connections is one prominent reason for weak economic integration among African countries? Indeed it is. To travel to Algiers, I had to go to France first. To go back home [Mozambique] from Libya I had to pass by England. Also there are frequent flight cancellations that add to the problem. Does your mission to Africa's richer nations include soliciting their funding of development programmes in less- developed African countries, to encourage African self-reliance? The matter is not that simple. Richer countries also have problems. But, our argument is that all countries have untapped resources, natural and human. The real challenge is to exploit such resources and mobilise them towards progress in Africa. Though a larger geographic membership in the Security Council is recommended in the UN reform proposal, some see a hidden agenda to weaken the General Assembly. What would your response be to such an argument? The reform is not meant to weaken the General Assembly, but to reinforce the Security Council. It is to make the Council more democratic and more representative, and not to give more privileges to some. But there are different interpretations. The role of all states is to contribute to the reinforcement of the Security Council. There have to be incentives, too, for more participation by all, and more fully. Of the three groups you are targeting in your advocacy of the UN agenda of reform -- policy leaders, civil society and the media -- which of these is, in whole or in part, opposing the agenda? Everybody has been supportive. Doubts and dissatisfaction are not global. Each group has its own perspective. For instance, women's groups want more gender- related issues to go to the forefront. Palestinians, bring their specific situation. Civil society organisations want more representation. The question is, are they [civil society organisations] representative enough? Even governments are put in doubt as to whether they represent the views of the people. There are also some doubts on how decisions can be taken or implemented without interference in the interests of certain states. Discussions should not end in September; there is richness in the debate triggered by this initiative that will need to be fully examined and discussed after the summit takes place. It is not only sceptics who view the fulfilment of the targets of the MDGs by 2015 as "not to be expected". Are we supposed to lower our expectations and live with the consequences? We should confront challenges with determination and optimism. One cannot meet challenges with hesitation. Look at a very poor country such as Mozambique, which was able to lower poverty from 70 per cent to 54 per cent over a five-year period. This has required country determination. The aim is to reduce global poverty by 50 per cent by 2015. The resources are there, what we need is determination, optimism and action. My message is certainly not to lower expectations. Strategy in the war against poverty has become a central concern for Africa now that the long struggle for liberation is over. In your opinion, what would make development strategies work in Africa? In order to fight poverty, African countries must grow quickly and sustain that growth, with agriculture assuming a critical role given that the majority of African people live in rural areas and agriculture is the major activity. Improvement of agricultural performance is a prerequisite for absolute poverty reduction on the continent. The resulting increase in purchasing power of the rural population will also lead to higher demand for African industrial goods. What role will the new partnership for Africa's development (NEPAD) take in the war against poverty? NEPAD is an African initiative that stresses the importance of the increased ownership by African countries of their own development programmes and emphasises partnership through peer review mechanisms designed to monitor implementation. African countries through the NEPAD "Plan of Action" committed themselves to create conducive conditions for growth, including the promotion of democracy, good governance and economic integration, in order to mobilise the African people to become agents of their own development.
