I am taking
the floor for the first time, and I would like to reiterate
our thanks to the President for his dynamism and stress
the importance of the role of his country, Qatar, in
international diplomacy. I would also like to thank
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and warmly
congratulate him on his new mandate. He can rest
assured of Portugal’s full and continued support.
Recognizing the presence in our midst of the
representatives of the Republic of South Sudan, I want
to express our best wishes to the authorities of that new
State in building a peaceful and prosperous future.
Allow me also to reiterate our warmest
congratulations to the delegation of the Libyan
National Transitional Council. The Libyan people have
displayed exemplary courage and tenacity in defending
their freedom and right to democratically chart their
own destiny without fear. The new Libya can continue
to count on Portugal.
Ten years have passed since the terrorist attacks
of 11 September 2001. I want to pay tribute, here in
New York, to the people and authorities of the United
States, and to praise their courage and determination in
facing and overcoming this tragedy. Upholding our
spirit of solidarity, we remain fully engaged in fighting
the scourge of terrorism and in reaching an agreement
on a United Nations global counter-terrorism treaty as
soon as possible.
57 11-51360
Camões, the Portuguese poet of the sixteenth-
century maritime discoveries, said that “the world is
made of change, assuming always new qualities”.
Identifying the world of change and its new qualities is
an ongoing challenge that we have to face and respond
to. We live in a historic time of change and multiple
and intertwined challenges, qualities and opportunities.
In our ever-changing world, we now face a
massive challenge that requires an urgent collective
answer: the relaunching of growth and employment.
The economic and financial crisis, which started in the
last decade, underscores the reality of interdependence
at the global level. Overcoming this crisis in a
sustainable and structured way is a challenge that we
must meet collectively.
To that end, we must correct macroeconomic
inequalities, strengthen monetary security and
rebalance world trade. Economic growth is a multiplier
for employment at the national and regional levels, and
depends for the most part on economic coordination on
a global scale. Governments, international
organizations, the private sector and social partners
ought to cooperate in a wide-ranging effort to restore
the confidence of our citizens and companies.
Prosperity is more than ever an objective that, if jointly
shared, can be reached by us all.
In the context of the preparations of the report of
the Secretary-General on global economic governance
to be submitted to the General Assembly, Portugal has
advocated greater coordination and complementarity
between the United Nations, the Group of 20 and
relevant regional groupings. We have done so because
we believe it indispensable to promote the involvement
of emerging economies, the private sector and civil
society and to enhance their respective roles in global
economic governance.
The European Union is preparing the foundations
of its economic Government, which is part of the
European integration process. The economic pillar of
the economic and monetary union is also making good
progress. That is good news not only for Europe, but
also for the rest of the world. Portugal is committed to
this endeavour and to meeting the obligations
undertaken in its economic adjustment programme.
The Portuguese Government and people are
making unprecedented efforts to meet their
commitments to the International Monetary Fund and
the European Union. As has been widely recognized,
we are moving quickly and resolutely to consolidate
our public debt and to implement structural reforms
designed to modernize the economy and promote
economic growth and employment. We view the crisis
as an opportunity to adapt our economic model and to
strengthen the Portuguese economy.
Last year we asked the General Assembly to
show its trust in us with regard to our election to the
Security Council. This year I want to express our
gratitude for the confidence placed in my country, and
to reiterate Portugal’s firm commitment and attachment
to the values and objectives of the United Nations, as
well as to the principles that motivated our candidacy.
We consider the institutional complementarity between
the General Assembly and the Security Council to be
of the utmost importance, and we believe that the
Council should be more effective and more
representative. In the context of United Nations reform,
we need change; we need to see Brazil and India given
permanent seats on the Council, and Africa should also
be included in this enlargement.
In this ever-changing world, the indispensable
role of the United Nations is reflected in the tireless
and courageous work of thousands of its staff members
and collaborators. Men and women in military and
police uniforms play a fundamental role in peace
operations to protect civilians, prevent the escalation of
conflict and create the necessary space and time for
political negotiations to bear fruit.
The Portuguese are deeply proud of participating
in this common effort. Our presence in the field
represents one of our main contributions to the
functioning of an effective multilateralism. Portuguese
Blue Helmets are deployed in Timor-Leste and
Lebanon, and make up one of the largest European
contingents in United Nations peacekeeping
operations. They are highly professional military and
police officers who make their country and the United
Nations proud.
The year 2011 started not with winter but with
spring. The world, as the poet would say, has found a
new quality, an opportunity for change created by the
courage of the Arab peoples who have come together to
make their voices heard loud and clear, defending,
sometimes at the cost of their own lives, the universal
values and aspirations that embody our community of
nations. Democracy and human rights are not relative
11-51360 58
values dependent on geography, ethnicity, faith or
economic development.
Libya is opening a new chapter in its history — a
new era of change and reconstruction. The meeting
held here earlier this week confirmed the commitment
of the international community, led by the United
Nations, to supporting the new authorities as they lay
the groundwork for a democratic, stable, united and
prosperous Libya. This was the welcome spirit that
inspired the Security Council’s unanimous adoption of
resolution 2009 (2011), establishing the United Nations
Support Mission in Libya. We are determined, both in
the Council and in the Committee established pursuant
to resolution 1970 (2011) concerning the Libyan Arab
Jamahiriya, which we chair, to continue contributing to
the successful transition in Libya.
We would also like to see success in the Middle
East peace process. Sixty years have passed and there
is no time left for advances and retreats, the status quo,
or unilateral actions that are prejudicial to negotiations.
The recipes, principles, concrete formulas and road
maps are all well known. We do not have to reinvent
the wheel. Peace may be difficult, but it is within the
reach of Palestine, which already embodies all the
characteristics of a State, to which the European Union
has greatly contributed. Peace in this time of change is
also within Israel’s reach in the framework of a stable
relationship and, above all else, security.
The recognition of a new State naturally falls to
the responsibility of each State Member of this
Organization. Portugal has backed the concept that the
European Union, through its High Representative, in
the context of the Quartet and in coordination with
other members of the European Union in the Security
Council, has a constructive and decisive role to play in
this process, which is at a crossroads. Europe can speak
with one voice to build bridges and facilitate
compromise. It should be clear that, just as the creation
of a Palestinian State is a promise that must be
honoured, so, too, the security of Israel must be firmly
guaranteed by the international community.
The President of the Palestinian Authority
decided to present to the Security Council a request for
Palestine’s admission to the United Nations as a State.
This step must be the result and logical outcome of
negotiations. We therefore understand the request to be
an expression of interest that will be fulfilled with the
signing of a peace agreement ending one of the longest
conflicts of our era.
Until then, we are open to supporting an
enhanced status for Palestine in the United Nations.
This would be an important step towards the creation
of a new State, and represent an additional commitment
by the Palestinians to the negotiation process,
reinforcing the confidence needed for a definitive and
global peace agreement to be reached. Portugal has a
unique sensibility in its dialogue with the Middle East.
We will use that sensibility and our close relationships
to assist in finding the only result that is of interest to
us all: peace.
The groundbreaking transformation we are
witnessing in the Arab world has created new
opportunities, first for the peoples of the region, but
also for countries such as Portugal that have a deep and
historic affinity with the southern shore of the
Mediterranean and the Gulf region. We are building a
common future that involves a new European
neighbourhood policy and a renewed union for the
Mediterranean. Our ambition is for a new economic
and commercial relationship, with reinforced
exchanges in the social field and a new democratic
solidarity, shared in a spirit of mutual respect and
advantage.
Portugal went through its democratic transition in
1974. We know how important the support and
encouragement of external partners were to us. We are
ready and available to share that experience now as a
sign of our support and solidarity. An important
element of that experience was the contribution and
full participation, on an equal footing, of Portuguese
women to the post-revolutionary political process.
We should remain united in our support for the
transition processes and reforms under way in the
Middle East and North Africa, and respond in a
coordinated manner to the needs identified by our
partners. I naturally think of Egypt and Tunisia, which
are preparing to undertake free and democratic
elections. I am confident that these two countries will
know how to meet expectations.
We note with profound regret, however, that
many innocent people in the region are paying too high
a price for their legitimate aspirations. The
disintegration of the situation in Syria is unacceptable
and unsustainable. We welcome the action taken by the
Human Rights Council, but we believe that the
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Security Council should also take a position in this
regard. And we urge the Syrian Government to end the
violence and the repression of the legitimate
democratic aspirations of its people.
The democratic transition under way in the
Middle East only makes the impasse on the Iranian
nuclear issue more evident. It is imperative that Tehran
understand that it is time to change and to cooperate
and that this is in its best interests.
In the face of current global challenges, we need
a strong and efficient United Nations that is able to
cooperate closely with other regional and international
organizations, whose scope of action has deepened and
broadened over recent years. Such cooperation can be
deepened with the European Union, which only
recently gained a new legitimacy in the United Nations
with the adoption of resolution 65/276, which we
welcome. But such cooperation should also be
developed with other organizations, such as the African
Union, the League of Arab States and the Community
of Portuguese-speaking Countries. That community of
eight nations on four continents, united by a language
spoken by more than 240 million people and counting,
has a strong vocation to strengthen multilateralism in
the service of peace, security and democracy.
I would also like to commend the efforts of the
Alliance of Civilizations, a United Nations initiative
that, under the leadership of a former Portuguese Head
of State, Jorge Sampaio, has contributed greatly to
improving relations among societies and communities
of different backgrounds and to promoting a culture of
dialogue, tolerance and mutual understanding at the
global level.
The United Nations is us all of us. We all have
the responsibility and duty to preserve global peace
and security and to defend human rights in accordance
with the Charter. The promotion and protection of
human rights, as I have already mentioned, is one of
the priorities of Portugal’s foreign policy, in line with
the other values expressed in the United Nations
Charter. We take an active position in this field,
denouncing situations where civil and political rights
are being violated and recognizing the social
aspirations of the neediest and most vulnerable
populations of our planet, as reflected in our initiatives
on economic, social and cultural rights.
I would also like to emphasize the importance we
attach to the promotion and protection of the rights of
the child, as well as the human rights of women,
including their participation in political decision-
making. That position is the outgrowth of a broad
consensus about and great interest in human rights in
our country. It is no coincidence that the United
Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and two
other important United Nations human rights
officials — the Special Representative of the
Secretary-General for Violence against Children and
the Special Rapporteur on the human right to safe
drinking water and sanitation, both of them women —
are Portuguese.
It is in that spirit that we decided to present our
candidature for the Human Rights Council for the
biennium 2015-2017. We participated actively in the
creation of that organ, of which we have not yet been a
member. We are convinced that our participation in that
body would serve as a bulwark in the defence of our
shared principles.
Allow me to conclude by reiterating and
emphasizing Portugal’s commitment to international
law and to the peaceful resolution of conflicts, values
that guide our actions in and out of the Security
Council, the other organs of the United Nations,
international organizations and our bilateral relations.