It is a great honour for
me to address the General Assembly on behalf of His
Excellency Mr. Armando Emilio Guebuza, President of
the Republic of Mozambique, who could not attend this
gathering owing to national commitments. However, he
wishes the General Assembly successful deliberations
at this session.
I take this opportunity to congratulate Mr. Sam
Kutesa, a distinguished son of our sisterly country,
Uganda, on his unanimous election to preside over this
session of the General Assembly. We firmly believe
that his vision, wisdom and leadership will guide us
to a comprehensive and results-oriented transformative
development agenda. I assure him of the full support
and collaboration of the delegation of Mozambique in
the fulfilment of his noble mission.
I also wish to pay tribute to Ambassador John
William Ashe for his devotion and for the pragmatic
manner in which he presided over the sixty-eighth
session of this body, and for his relentless efforts
constructively to guide the ongoing debate on the
architecture of the next development agenda.
The year 2015 will be a historic one, since the
United Nations will reach the landmark celebration
of its seventieth anniversary. That celebration will be
enriched by the goal set in the year 2000 to halve poverty
rates in the world by the year 2015, the conclusion
of the next development agenda, and the adoption of
a new framework for climate change. In that regard,
we welcome the theme for this session, “Delivering
on and implementing a transformative post-2015
development agenda”, as it will enhance the ongoing
deliberations under the United Nations umbrella on the
next development agenda, galvanized by regional and
subregional visions on that important topic.
In our deliberations, the results and challenges
experienced in the implementation of the Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs) will undoubtedly be
referenced in shaping the next development agenda. We
recognize that much has been done in the framework
of the MDGs. However, apart from accelerating the
achievement of all goals, it is important to guarantee
the sustainability of those that were achieved and
accelerate the implementation of those that are still
lagging behind. It is our strong belief that the principle
of inclusiveness must also be taken into consideration
in order to build a common vision and to ensure
global commitments and shared responsibilities in the
implementation of the next development agenda.
To that end, Mozambique undertook a national
consultation process on the post-2015 development
agenda, a process that echoes our vision that
sustainable development can be achieved only with
a shared responsibility between Governments, civil
society and the private sector. Mozambique’s national
consultation process resulted in a robust call for the
next development agenda to list the eradication of
poverty as its overarching objective. To achieve that, it
should ensure the promotion of equitable, sustainable
and inclusive economic growth, focusing on women
and youth.
The consultation also emphasized the need for the
eradication of poverty and hunger, translated into the
improvement of living standards through access to
better social services such as education, health, social
welfare, safe drinking water, sanitation and energy;
the preservation of peace and political stability, the
promotion of democracy and the protection of human
rights; economic diversification and transformation to
speed up technological modernization in sectors such
as agriculture, industry, tourism and infrastructures;
the protection of marine and land biodiversity,
including the sustainable use of natural resources;
effective partnership for development, particularly for
access to science, technology and innovation; further
enhancement of North-South cooperation, in the
framework of global partnership in order to commit the
developed countries to meeting their internationally
agreed development goals obligations; the strengthening
of South-South cooperation; and, finally, agreement
on a common methodology to monitor and evaluate
national progress.
In addition, the experiences and challenges we faced
in the implementation of the MDGs — particularly in
the accomplishment of Goal 8, “A global partnership
for development” — underline the need for a greater
commitment on the part of our development partners
to increase their official development assistance, and
for funding climate resilience and disaster-prevention
efforts in developing countries. A transformative post-
2015 development agenda should include the need to
strengthen its financing mechanisms, concomitant
with the need to raise the contribution for domestic
financing. Those expectations coincide with the
emerging common vision at the subregional, regional
and global levels. Therefore, we have a premonition
that the agenda will be adequately inclusive and bring
the much-needed transformation to deliver a world that
is truly fit for all.
At this critical juncture, the successful conclusion of
the Doha Development Round is a matter of urgency. Its
contribution to the materialization of the development
agenda as a whole cannot be overemphasized. In that
regard, we are encouraged by the attempts of the World
Trade Organization to restore the Doha negotiations
and by the adoption of the Bali package, which are
fundamental steps in the architecture of the Doha
Round.
We are also encouraged by the positive trends in
the development of Africa. As the Secretary-General
states in his report on the work of the Organization
(A/69/1), Africa continues to make steady development
gains. Economic growth reached 4 per cent in 2013 and
is projected to reach 5.3 per cent in 2014. Foreign direct
investment increased, and substantial progress has
been made towards the attainment of the MDGs.
If those positive developments are to be sustained,
a transformative development agenda should reflect
Africa’s priorities and special needs, as expressed in its
Common Position on the post-2015 development agenda.
In addition, that encouraging environment can be
possible only in the context of peace, political stability,
democracy and respect for human rights. Therefore, we
regret that conflict prevention, peacekeeping and the
rebuilding of war-torn States remain among the most
complex challenges facing the United Nations and the
international community at large.
Indeed, this session takes place in the context
of grave instability and conflicts in the world, with
enormous economic costs and severe humanitarian
consequences that are unacceptable. Additionally,
the complexity of some conflicts poses a challenge to
the authority of the United Nations and consequently
undermines the founding principles of the Organization
as well as the role of multilateralism in addressing
global concerns.
We have been challenged by the dramatic evolution
in the strands of terrorism threats, which spare no part
of the world. Therefore, Mozambique welcomes the
adoption, at the 7272nd meeting of the Security Council,
held on 24 September, of resolution 2178 (2014), which
calls for an urgent boost in international cooperation to
prevent the support and flow of terrorist fighters to and
from conflict zones.
As we craft our collective strategy to deal with
all forms and manifestation of that human scourge,
we should not lose sight of the following elements.
First is the need to strengthen multilateral approaches
in full compliance with the Charter of the United
Nations. Secondly, the root causes of terrorism must
be addressed, as that scourge cannot and should not be
associated with any religion, nationality or civilization.
Thirdly, it is necessary to address the underlying
conditions, such as poverty, injustice, social exclusion
and marginalization, that serve as fertile ground for
extremist ideologies to breed and thrive.
In an interdependent and globalized world,
multilateralism refers to the collective and cooperative
actions needed to address global challenges in a
transparent, inclusive and effective manner, thereby
contributing to order, stability and predictability. In
that context, the United Nations must be strengthened
in order to continue effectively to play its role as the
epicentre of multilateralism. Today more than ever
before, we must take concrete actions to reinforce the
strategic role of the United Nations in the architecture
of the global world.
Notwithstanding the prevailing challenges to the
maintenance of international peace and security, we are
encouraged by the efforts in place for the restoration of
peace and stability in Mali, Somalia, the Democratic
Republic of the Congo, the Central African Republic,
the Sudan and South Sudan. We are also encouraged
by the latest developments in Guinea-Bissau as a
result of the general elections that prompted the
promising first steps towards much-needed political
stability — a precondition for that sisterly country to
progress towards socioeconomic development. These
achievements call our attention to the importance
of cooperation and coordination between the United
Nations and the African Union and with the subregional
bodies in effectively addressing the range of conflict-
management problems through preventive diplomacy
and mediation initiatives that allow for rapid responses
to regional and subregional crises.
The principle of the right to self-determination
continues to be central to the full enjoyment of human
rights. In that context, the United Nations ought to
continue to be engaged in the fulfilment of those
rights by the peoples of Palestine and Western Sahara.
Mozambique reiterates its full support for a just and
lasting solution to the problem of Palestine through
peaceful means, in accordance with international law
and all the relevant resolutions of the United Nations.
With regard to Western Sahara, we are encouraged
to note the initiative taken by the Chairperson of
the African Union in appointing His Excellency
Mr. Joaquim Alberto Chissano, former President of the
Republic of Mozambique, as a special envoy to the five
permanent members of the Security Council plus Spain,
in an effort to step up the search for a solution that will
ensure the fulfilment of the right of the Saharan people
to self-determination, for which Mozambique reaffirms
its unconditional support.
As I mentioned at the beginning of my statement,
the advent of 2015 represents a historic opportunity for
the United Nations to reshape global commitments in
many ways. As we celebrate the seventieth anniversary
of the Organization, we must use the momentum to take
concrete steps to accelerate, in a sustained manner, the
ongoing process of reforms in the Organization, in
particular the reform of the Security Council.
The inability of the United Nations to solve conflict
situations and political instability in the Middle East
and Eastern Europe poses a challenge to its authority
as the universal entity and multilateral political forum
for fostering dialogue in a multilateral framework. The
situation is worsened by the lack of substantive progress
in the reform of the Security Council, almost 15 years
after the international community recommitted itself to
that important endeavour. It is our hope that at its sixty-
ninth session the General Assembly will deliver the
much-awaited reform to democratize its representation
and working methods and to strengthen its role in
conflict prevention and the promotion of international
peace and security.
Freedom of choice with regard to political systems
and to trade is an inalienable right of all States,
irrespective of their size. In that connection, the need to
bring to an end the economic, commercial and financial
embargo imposed by the United States of America
against Cuba continues to be a matter of concern, for it
is politically motivated and hinders the socioeconomic
development of Cuba. For those reasons, Mozambique
joins all those countries that demand the immediate
termination of that unfair unilateral measure.
Mozambique is fully committed to the global
agenda for peace and security, democracy and
sustainable development. At the national level that
commitment is translated into our political will to
strengthen democracy in the country and to adopt a
poverty-reduction strategy that is people-centred and
promotes sustainable development. The regularity
with which elections at different levels are held shows
our unquestionable determination to consolidate the
democratic system and defend its underlying values. As
a result, on 15 October Mozambique will hold its fifth
multiparty general elections to elect the President and
the Parliament, and its second elections for provincial
parliaments.
In the economic sphere, Mozambique has enjoyed
steady economic growth for more than a decade.
Coupled with the support of our development partners,
including the United Nations, that has allowed for an
improvement in social services delivery and enabled
us to be on track to attain the majority the MDGs. In
addition, recently discovered natural resources represent
a challenge and an opportunity to further advance
national socioeconomic progress. The development
of new sources of clean and renewable energy such
as bio-fuels is a priority for the Government, and due
attention is being paid to prevent competition with
food-production initiatives.
Therefore, we are emphasizing the following
areas: the improvement of agriculture production and
productivity in a sector that will continue to play a
key role in our development efforts; human capital
development to address the new emerging economic
challenges; and the promotion of a strong private sector
to take advantage of the opportunities brought about by
the discovery and exploitation of natural resources. It
is our firm conviction that, with peace and stability, we
will continue successfully to address the development
challenges facing Mozambique, which have poverty
eradication and sustainable development at their
epicentre.
Finally, as part of our commitment to peace and
stability, in June Mozambique hosted the third Review
Conference of the States Parties to the Convention on
the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production
and Transfer of Anti-personnel Mines and on Their
Destruction, also known as the Ottawa Convention.
I should like to take this opportunity to thank all
participants as well as all partners that contributed
to making that event a success, because it was. We
are engaged in continuing our efforts to declare the
country free of landmines and thus to contribute to the
fulfilment of one of the most important steps in our
obligations under the Convention.
To conclude, I wish to reiterate Mozambique’s
commitment to continue to be engaged in international
efforts to address current global problems.