Mr. President, I wish you all success for your tenure in
office.
Guaranteeing international peace and security as
well as the sustainable development of our peoples is
our shared responsibility. The way we carry it out will
determine our common destiny. The centrality of the
United Nations has never been so clear. The United
Nations will be what we, as sovereign and equal
Member States, want it to be.
We live in a time of historic acceleration, a time
of great opportunities but also of challenges on a
global scale. Global challenges imply a collective
responsibility. The United Nations is the forum that
best embodies that collective responsibility. That is
also why I strongly support the statement made by the
President of the French Republic, current President of
the Council of the European Union.
In a globalized and interdependent world, only
strong multilateral institutions can promote the
fundamental values of peace, democracy, human rights
and sustainable development. Portugal is committed to
supporting effective multilateralism based on a
cohesive and efficient United Nations.
Our words cannot be empty rhetoric. Therefore
we must be consistent and put into practice the values
and principles we defend. Our actions must be based
on very clear assumptions. First, we must make every
effort to ensure that the United Nations has the means
necessary to fulfil its mission, and we must contribute
to the achievement of the mandates with which we
entrust it.
Secondly, we must ensure broader representation
in the United Nations bodies and make their actions
more transparent. Is it reasonable to continue having a
Security Council without reforming its working
methods, when countries such as Brazil and India have
no permanent seat and when Africa is not permanently
represented? We surely do not think so and are open to
the possibility of broader solutions.
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Thirdly, we must guarantee the fulfilment of the
declarations on human rights approved by all of us.
The Organization must bear in mind that the ultimate
beneficiaries of its actions are not States as such, but
the citizens and peoples that compose them.
Portugal has been committed to this common
effort — first, by participating in peacekeeping
operations. I would like to commend the many
thousands of Portuguese who have participated in over
20 missions led by the United Nations and those who
currently are taking part in missions in Afghanistan,
the Central African Republic, Chad, Kosovo, Lebanon
and Timor-Leste.
This year we celebrate the sixtieth anniversary of
United Nations peacekeeping operations, and I would
like to pay tribute to all of the Blue Helmets. In
particular I pay tribute to the memory of all of those,
including Portuguese nationals, who have made the
ultimate sacrifice for the ideals of the United Nations
Charter.
Africa must remain a priority. That belief led us,
together with our African partners, to hold the Cairo
and Lisbon summits between the European Union (EU)
and Africa, which began to further the dialogue
between the two continents. The shared principles, the
commitments undertaken and the EU-Africa Joint
Strategy illustrate a renewed partnership based on
cooperation in areas such as peace and security,
development, good governance and human rights, trade
and regional integration. Peace, sustainable
development, access to education and health care and
the integration of African economies in the
international markets are essential objectives in
building a more just, peaceful and balanced
international order. Accordingly, we must support the
efforts of the African nations to achieve those
objectives.
In that context, I would like to congratulate the
Angolan people for the civic-minded manner in which
they conducted their recent electoral process. The
legislative elections had a profound bearing on the
consolidation of democracy in Angola, with important
regional political repercussions.
I also welcome the political agreement in
Zimbabwe, which we hope will mark a new period of
national reconciliation as well as political and
economic development.
I wish also to congratulate Guinea-Bissau on the
anniversary of its independence. Guinea-Bissau is one
of the States Members of the Community of
Portuguese-speaking Countries (CPLP), from which it
has received strong political support. The CPLP has
undertaken increasing responsibilities as an operational
partner of the regional organizations to which its
member States belong, such as the European Union and
the African Union, and of global organizations such as
the United Nations.
The recent Lisbon summit of the CPLP, at which
Portugal took over the presidency of the Community,
confirmed its members’ determination to promote
peace, democracy, human rights and development. It
also led to the definition of a common strategy of
international assertiveness based on our shared asset:
the Portuguese language — the fifth most spoken
language in the world, connecting nations and peoples
in five continents. This assertiveness should lead to the
increased use of Portuguese as an official or working
language of international organizations.
Recently, Portugal also assumed the presidency
of the Community of Democracies. Very soon, we will
be presiding over the Ibero-American Summit — a
genuine reference point for political cooperation based
on shared cultures and values. We are honoured by
those mandates, which we intend to exercise with
determination and confidence.
Portugal believes that the natural vocation of the
Alliance of Civilizations to bring together peoples,
cultures and religions will be instrumental in
establishing a world where dialogue prevails over
conflict and where tolerance, respect for cultural
diversity and individual identity, and mutual
understanding overcome built-up tensions. We
therefore resolutely support the Implementation Plan of
the High Representative of the Secretary-General.
Seven years have passed since New York suffered
one of the most infamous acts the world has witnessed
in our time. Although much has been done since then,
terrorism continues to be a threat. The implementation
of the Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy is
fundamental to success in combating that common
enemy. In that regard, it is crucial to respect human
rights and fundamental freedoms, the promotion of
which contributes to preventing terrorism.
Hunger and extreme poverty are other, more
insidious but equally destructive common enemies.
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Much has also been said in that connection, and some
measures have been taken. However, much more is
required. We reiterate our unwavering support for the
Millennium Development Goals. Portugal, which is
contributing to the limit of its capabilities, is directing
most of its development aid to Africa, where the levels
of poverty are most striking.
We are pleased to note the establishment of the
High-level Task Force on the Global Food Crisis.
Combating hunger and poverty requires a strengthened
global partnership in which the United Nations and the
Bretton Woods institutions have a central role to play.
Ensuring sustainable development requires that
we confront the challenges posed by climate change
together. Failure to act now will result in an
irreversible legacy for future generations, as shown by
the last progress report of the Intergovernmental Panel
on Climate Change. In that common effort, we must
support those who are most vulnerable to the effects of
climate change, such as small island developing States
and least developed countries.
Oceans, seas, islands and coastal areas, which are
vital for human life and economic prosperity, deserve
our utmost attention. It is therefore important that we
join efforts to ensure that negotiations are completed
by December next year on a global and transparent
agreement on a post-2012 climate regime.
Economic development is not an end in itself; it
is a means towards the progress of humankind and the
affirmation of human rights. Portugal has been the
driving force behind the draft optional protocol to the
International Covenant on Economic, Social and
Cultural Rights, which the Assembly will be called
upon to adopt. It is our opinion that the draft protocol
represents a landmark in the promotion of democracy
that will enable us to properly celebrate the sixtieth
anniversary of the adoption of the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights. Let us always bear in
mind that the dignity of human beings is not
negotiable.
I would now like to refer to the humanitarian
situation of refugees. Portugal acknowledges the
remarkable work carried out by the United Nations
High Commissioner for Refugees. We must continue
our collective efforts. In that regard, my country has
responded to the need by tripling its refugee quota.
We are the United Nations. Its destiny is in our
hands. The success of the Organization is closely
linked to its capacity for regeneration and increased
democratization, representation and effectiveness. I
therefore wish to commend the consensus in the
General Assembly as regards the Security Council
reform process, which should enable intergovernmental
negotiations to begin shortly. Portugal is honoured to
be directly associated with that outcome.
In 2000, Portugal submitted its candidacy for a
non-permanent seat in the Security Council for the
biennium 2011-2012. Our candidacy must be
considered in the light of the principles and values of
the United Nations that we have long defended and
which are enshrined in the Portuguese Constitution. We
stand for service to peace and stability, sustainable
development and human rights. We also believe in the
central role of the Organization in pursuing those
goals. We stand for equal representation for those
States that constitute the majority in this house because
we believe that that is the best way to guarantee a
sense of justice, which is essential if decisions are to be
accepted by all.