I would like to extend my greetings to you on behalf of the people of Cabo Verde. Mr. President. We have engaged in this session’s general debate with a view to accelerating action on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The theme of the general debate must indeed mobilize nations towards peace, prosperity, progress and sustainability for all.
The world has been experiencing periods of intense crisis. We have been seeing a resurgence of populism and extremism, as well as attacks on democracy. There have been successive coups d’etat in African countries. In this difficult time of war in Ukraine. Cabo Verde is on the side of the values and principles of freedom and respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of peoples and nations. Based on those principles and values, we condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine. In these challenging times caused by instability and successive coups d’etat in various countries of Africa. Cabo Verde supports the principles and values of constitutional liberal democracy. Based on those principles, we condemn the use of such coups as a path to power. A recent Afrobarometer survey shows that two thirds of Africans prefer democracy to any other form of governance, but only 38 per cent are satisfied with how democracy functions in their countries.
If. on the one hand, there is a disconnect between citizens and those with political power with respect to the workings of democracy, on the other, there is an opportunity. The preference of our citizens for democracy is an opportunity for greater and better democracy; good governance; greater citizen empowerment; the fight against corruption; fiscal and financial transparency; and for policies based on results that have a real impact on people’s lives and create trust and hope. Credible and trustworthy electoral and judicial systems, freedom of the press, the promotion of pluralism and strong institutions are fundamental to ensuring the trust of political actors and citizens in the rules of democracy. They prevent grave crises
and extreme conflicts, in addition to strengthening democracy. They are political matters that deserve to be addressed and discussed as a matter of priority by political leaders in order to establish the trust and stability necessary to promote peace, progress, prosperity and sustainability. Cabo Verde is committed to working in a spirit of cooperation and determination alongside all Member States to address insecurity in Africa and the rest of the world. Together, as the United Nations, we can transform that challenge into an opportunity to build a safer world in which peace, stability and prosperity are accessible to all.
The world has become increasingly interconnected. The magnitude and severity of the coronavirus disease pandemic showed us that in a context of spreading insecurity that does not recognize borders, no one is safe. Partnerships among nations are key to overcoming threats to global security. We should consider security from a broad-based, global perspective that takes into account health, climate and environmental security in the context of pandemics and climate change; food security and overall security in addressing profound inequalities in access to basic goods such as water, electricity and household sanitation; and security in the face of drug trafficking, terrorism, maritime piracy, human trafficking and cybercrime. We know there is a huge risk that any of those security factors could become endemic. Only through close cooperation, partnerships and solidarity can we create an environment with lasting global security. We must commit to ensuring that conflict prevention and resolution and post-conflict reconstruction are key elements on our path towards achieving the SDGs.
The challenges to our ability to achieve the SDGs have increased, but we cannot allow the difficult global context to weaken or end our commitments to the 2030 Agenda. On the contrary, it should encourage us to implement reforms, engage in investment, financing and partnerships and uphold international solidarity. It should encourage us to reform the international financial architecture, operationalize climate and environmental financing instruments, substantially increase special drawing rights, simplify the rules for their issuance and allocation and provide debt relief to the least developed countries. It should encourage us to ensure the fair and meaningful representation of African countries in the community of nations, including on the Security Council and in international financial institutions such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. It should encourage us once and for all to move forward with the normalization of the Multidimensional Vulnerability Index and the international community’s application of it as a benchmark for granting access to low-cost and long-term financing, as well as greater levels of financing, for small island developing States.
Development is a long and demanding journey in which countries’ external relations play a decisive role. Development partnerships, and the conditions for financing in particular, are important. But there is one determining factor in that regard. The only way for countries to achieve development is by making strong commitments within their own borders through their Governments, citizens, companies and civil-society organizations. There must be a strong commitment to creating a political, institutional, economic and social environment that encourages citizens, businesses and civil-society organizations to channel their energy, skills and resources towards personal, organizational and collective development. There must also be a strong commitment to ensuring good political, economic, social and environmental governance. In Cabo Verde, we believe that people, institutions and trust are the keys to success.
Africa needs expanded growth and better integration into the global economy in order to enable it to engage in production and export, create well- paid jobs, eradicate extreme poverty and ensure the happiness of its peoples. It needs structural transformation to be able to make its many commodity based. low-added-value economies more diversified, with greater integration into value chains and increased competitiveness. It requires transformations in terms of reducing vulnerabilities, increasing resilience and responding to external economic, financial, energy, climate and health shocks. We also need transformation in terms of technological connectivity, which is a major obstacle to Africa’s economic integration. Africa needs to decisively, consistently and effectively invest in human capital, including through quality education and health for all and access to basic needs such as water, electricity and household sanitation for every family.
In order to yield significant results, long-term transformative investments require considerable concessionary funding, predictability, scale-up effects and enough time to implement them. The weight of external debt, the levels of sovereign risk and the financing conditions for African countries and
companies are serious issues that block their pathways to development. They require structured and consistent solutions. We need mechanisms that create virtuous cycles. The conversion of debt into climate and environmental financing is one such mechanism. Such transformations can free up resources for investments that improve resilience, reduce exposure to external shocks, lower carbon emissions, protect biodiversity, create investment opportunities for the private sector and skilled job opportunities for young people. Cabo Verde and Portugal recently signed an agreement to convert bilateral debt into climate and environmental financing to help to achieve those goals. Contributions by additional partners would increase the scale of transformative investments and accelerate their impact.
Cabo Verde reaffirms its commitment to achieving the SDGs through integrated policies. Our goal is eradicating extreme poverty by 2026. leaving no one behind in education and accelerating our energy transition. We are investing in reducing our dependence on groundwater sources for agriculture. We want to transform Cabo Verde into a digital nation and diversify our economy. We embrace the 2030 Agenda as our path towards achieving progress, and our second sustainable development plan is geared to that commitment. We reaffirm our firm commitment to realizing the commitments we have just agreed on at the SDG Summit, which are vital for the Decade of Action. They call on us to forge intelligent actions aimed at achieving international peace and security so that we can advance more rapidly towards achieving prosperity, progress and sustainability for all. leaving no one behind.