On behalf of the Democratic Republic of Sao Tome
and Principe, the country that I have the honour of
representing in the highest forum of international
diplomacy, where all States have an equal voice
regardless of size or geographic location and which was
created as a result of a pressing need for communication
and dialogue among the peoples of the world, I would
first like to congratulate you, Sir, on your election
as President of the General Assembly at its sixty-
eighth session. Your experience as a diplomat gives us
confidence that you will masterfully conduct the work
of the General Assembly. In the Assembly we anticipate
pertinent debates concerning issues of the greatest
concern to the international community on which we
hope to achieve consensus and identify the best paths
to lasting solutions.
We also wish to express our appreciation and
esteem to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for his
dedication and his efforts in conducting the work of the
Organization, and we thank His Excellency Mr. Vuk
Jeremi. for his positive contribution as President of the
General Assembly at its sixty-seventh session.
Today, unfortunately, we are forced to begin our
statement by expressing the strongest condemnation of
the bloody terrorist attack in Kenya. The Democratic
Republic of Sao Tome and Principe offers its most
profound sentiments of sorrow and our solidarity
with the people of Kenya, their Government and the
bereaved families.
The current international environment does not
seem to have changed significantly since the previous
session. Indeed, new bloody conflicts and violence
seem to break out almost on a daily basis everywhere,
revealing the deep disagreements and antagonisms
that exist both within each State and among various
States in the community of nations. The profound
imbalance in international relations, the injustice of the
trading system, the enormous divide in access to goods
and in cultural values and the glaring disparities in
information access and knowledge among the peoples
of our planet do not contribute to improved living
conditions for millions of human beings. Rather, they
lead to increased conflict and threats to international
peace and security.
As it has done each year, the Democratic Republic
of Sao Tome and Principe reaffirms, in accordance
with its principles, its desire to see the United Nations
assume a more active role in righting the imbalances
and in efforts to mediate and resolve international
conflicts.
The fight against poverty, the struggle against
injustice and promoting greater dissemination of
knowledge must, in our view, remain ongoing concerns
of the Organization, so as to ensure that all peoples
achieve satisfactory development and dignity, in
accordance with the Millennium Development Goals,
thereby reducing the level of conflict and hostility that
is prevalent in the world today.
Along those lines, my country has implemented
extensive political and institutional reforms in various
areas, in order to engage all of its citizens in building
a more democratic and transparent Government and a
more participatory society in the pursuit of solutions
to help fight poverty. We have not forgotten the need
to provide the entire population with easier access to
education, basic health care and safe drinking water,
as well as modern communications, as a means to
increase knowledge and improve living conditions.
That requires an enormous effort from a country with
scant economic and financial resources; it therefore
requires international aid to achieve sustainability and
the established development goals.
My country congratulates and commends you,
Sir, for the relevance and timeliness of the theme
proposed for the current session of the General
Assembly — “The post-2015 development agenda:
setting the stage” — which remains relevant despite
the ongoing financial and economic crisis the world
is facing. My country remains firmly convinced
that addressing that important theme in its various
dimensions during the current session and through
2015 will encourage each and every State Member of
the United Nations to contribute more effectively and
dynamically towards the future we want.
In addition to identifying the progress made in
implementing the eight Millennium Development
Goals, the debate and reflection on the post-2015
development agenda allows us to explore ways and
means of building a more promising future for our
nations and our peoples.
The sixty-eighth session of the General Assembly
is taking place at a time when the Democratic Republic
of Sao Tome and Principe has completed two important
phases of public consultation aimed at guiding the
country in re-charting its course to achieveing the
Millennium Development Goals and enabling our
positive contribution to the new post-2015 development
agenda.
Good governance, economic development,
developing human capital, food and nutritional security,
as well as peace, tranquillity and security, are among the
areas in which Sao Tome and Principe must improve its
performance in the near future and represent the basic
requirements to drive the country’s development.
The citizens of Sao Tome and Principe are of the
view that a new development agenda must offer a
framework to consolidate the significant progress made
in implementing the eight Millennium Development
Goals — especially in the areas of education and
health — as well as an opportunity to advance
international political participation and exchange
aimed at development in the context of a continuously
evolving political and economic environment and
increasing global challenges. We therefore thank
the various development partners of the Democratic
Republic of Sao Tome and Principe for their valuable
contributions towards the achievement of our goals.
Since its establishment, in 1945, in accordance
with the principles and objectives enshrined in its
Charter, the United Nations has been called on to play
an important role in building and maintaining peace
and security in the world as an essential condition for
promoting development on a global scale. However,
all agree that the Organization must adapt to the new
challenges of the times. Its operational and functional
structures must become more dynamic, with greater
flexibility, so as to meet the increasing demands of the
new era.
The ongoing reform of the entire United Nations
system must be completed, and the Democratic Republic
of Sao Tome and Principe urges acceleration of that
process. We believe that a broad and consensual reform
of the United Nations will provide the Organization with
the greater flexibility, representation, effectiveness,
capacity and legitimacy that it requires to continue
to ensure peace, security and development for its
Members.
Unfortunately, the bloody conflicts that appear
to proliferate almost everywhere and emerge where
they are least expected are not decreasing in number.
Whether caused by social antagonisms resulting from
the poor distribution of wealth or from ethnic or
religious intolerance, the fact is that they persist.
There has been no significant progress in resolving
the continuing conflict in the Democratic Republic
of the Congo, despite the laudable efforts of the
international community — namely, the United Nations
and the African Union — towards finding a solution that
leads to peace and stability in the region. Therefore, we
cannot fail to appeal to the neighbouring countries of
the Democratic Republic of the Congo for constructive
forms of cooperation and trust in their relationships.
We welcome the progress made in Guinea-
Bissau following the many initiatives undertaken
by the international community, namely, the United
Nations, the African Union, the Economic Community
of West African States and the Community of
Portuguese-speaking Countries (CPLP). We
congratulate the United Nations and African Union
representatives to Guinea-Bissau for their efforts
as mediators in the country, in cooperation with
other stakeholders. Those efforts created conditions
conducive to promoting further progress in stabilizing
and preparing the country for the general elections
and in restoring it to constitutional and democratic
normality — the profound aspiration of its people.
My country is counting seriously on the stabilization
process and encourages all parties involved to do their
best to achieve the established goals. In coordination
with the other States members of the CPLP, we will
continue to exert every effort to contribute to the
success of that process, so that peace and happiness
may return to the people of our sister nation.
Mali, another country tormented by a fratricidal
war, seems to have finally reached an encouraging
point, as it recently held presidential elections with
results that have been peacefully and universally
accepted. We congratulate the new President and hope
that he may find the best path towards maintaining
peace and inclusive dialogue among all Malians.
The Central African Republic is today experiencing
one of the worst moments in its history. Indeed, we
have observed barbaric acts there, such as summary
executions and widespread pillage. Public services
are crumbling. The humanitarian situation has already
been determined to be catastrophic by United Nations
specialized agencies, thus requiring vigorous and
urgent action. Therefore, the Democratic Republic of
Sao Tome and Principe, out of concern for the suffering
of the tormented people of our sister nation, appeals to
the entire international community for a more vigorous
intervention to mitigate their suffering, preserve
national sovereignty and help national political actors
to promote national unity and political stability.
The longstanding issue of the Western Sahara calls
for our attention and requires greater involvement from
all in the search for a definitive solution to the protracted
negotiation process. We therefore welcome with
satisfaction the willingness expressed by the Moroccan
Government to support the efforts of the international
community to achieve a negotiated political and
mutually acceptable solution, and encourage both
parties to return to the negotiation process.
Currently, our attention is focused on the issue
of piracy in the Gulf of Guinea, which greatly affects
the safety of navigation and may destabilize countries
in the region. That would prevent them from taking
advantage of their natural resources, causing great
harm to their population. The territorial waters of Sao
Tome and Principe are 150 times the size of our land
mass. Therefore, we are extremely concerned about
the risks of acts of piracy spreading in the Gulf of
Guinea. Recently, the Heads of State and Government
of countries that form the Commission of the Gulf
of Guinea, which we seek to expand, held a summit
to adopt measures aimed at combating that scourge.
But our firm action in that regard will be successful
only if we can also count on the efforts of the entire
international community.
The Gulf of Guinea is a point of reference in
navigation routes that connect the northern and
southern hemispheres, as well as other important
economic regions of the world. Its protection deserves
everyone’s attention. Combating piracy requires the
establishment of an environment that is conducive to
global security. Since piracy is normally associated
with transnational crimes such as the trafficking of
arms, drugs and persons, which Sao Tome and Principe
condemns emphatically, my country has joined other
States in the region to combat such activities and has
taken steps at the national level that make it more
difficult for our territory to be used for the purpose of
money laundering or the financing of other illicit or
criminal acts.
With regard to the bloody conflict that is
ravaging Syria and causing a humanitarian tragedy
of great proportions, the Democratic Republic of Sao
Tome and Principe vehemently condemns the use of
chemical weapons in violation of all international
agreements. We also take this opportunity to welcome
recent developments towards dismantling the Syrian
arsenal of chemical weapons and urge both parties
to the conflict and the international community to
pursue a compromise that will lead to the cessation of
hostilities, thereby paving the way for open dialogue
and negotiations within a multilateral framework aimed
at a political solution to establish lasting peace.
As for the Israeli-Palestinian issue, we urgently
appeal to both Israel and Palestine to move towards
resolving their differences through dialogue, based on
respect for the integrity of the State of Israel and the
right of a Palestinian State to exist.
The Republic of Cuba, whose internal reforms we
welcome, has the right to choose its path freely, without
any restrictions imposed by an embargo that penalizes
its economic and social development, with grave
consequences for the country’s population.
We also acknowledge the climate of constructive
dialogue between Taiwan and the People’s Republic
of China, which serves to send a positive signal that
tensions are decreasing in the region, which we welcome
and encourage. Both parties along the Formosa Strait
must work peacefully towards reaching an agreement
on the normalization of their relations. For our part, we
continue to support the integration of Taiwan within
international organizations.
In conclusion, I wish to reaffirm my country’s
commitment to contributing, with the United
Nations, towards a peaceful and negotiated solution
to international conflicts, and hope that the post-2015
development agenda will translate into programmes
that can help improve the living conditions of all people
on our planet.