Allow me to begin
by conveying my vigorous condemnation of the
recent terrorist attacks in Kenya, Pakistan and Iraq,
which killed scores of innocent people. On behalf of
the Government of Timor-Leste, I extend our deepest
condolences to the bereaved families in connection
with the senseless loss of their loved ones. Terrorism is
contrary to every civilized value we hold dear and for
which we have fought. It must be condemned in all its
manifestations, regardless of its motives.
This is the first time that I am addressing this
Assembly of representatives of the international
community as a whole. I take this occasion to once
again thank the United Nations for its contribution to
the realization of the right of the people of Timor-Leste
to decide on our own future. Timor-Leste’s experience
shows the great value of the United Nations and the
importance of negotiated solutions, dialogue and
diplomacy to international disputes.
This is the first year without a United Nations
mission in the country since the restoration of Timor-
Leste’s independence 11 years ago. Our partnership
with the United Nations throughout the last decade
achieved remarkable successes. The Timorese people’s
yearning for stability and peace was decisive for the
new circumstances, which allowed the Security Council
to remove Timor-Leste from its agenda.
The results obtained are shared jointly by the
international community, through their solidarity and
pioneering efforts in the nation-building processes
made in Timor-Leste, and by the Timorese people,
through their maturity and firm determination to live
in peace, which has been repeatedly expressed in free
elections with a high voter turnout.
I thank Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for
the attention given to my country, which was again
underlined by his visit to Timor-Leste one year ago,
which greatly honoured us.
The Timorese people now hold in their own hands
full responsibility for building their future. The country
is facing the challenges with high hopes and optimism.
One such challenge is to focus national development
efforts on diversifying the economy, reducing our
dependency on oil and promoting inclusive development
for all Timorese people. Another is to consolidate our
national institutions, strengthening their technical
capacities and ensuring the participation of the younger
generation in managing the country.
The older generations have incumbency and have
the duty to pass on to young people the wealth of values
developed during the liberation struggle, such as
respect for human dignity and dedication and service to
the country. Those values are as necessary to building
an equitable society and a unified country today as they
were in the past to solidifying the unity of purpose of
the nation. The development of the country must not
exclude any Timorese.
The relations between Timor-Leste and the United
Nations will continue to strengthen and will increasingly
focus on assistance in the area of human, social and
economic development efforts and the strengthening of
institutions.
The international integration of the country
continues to evolve at a good pace, guided by the goal of
contributing to a peaceful and stable international system
capable of promoting social and human opportunities
for all peoples. We are participating actively in the
development of new forms of dialogue among fragile
States by establishing the Group of Seven Plus (g7+).
That group, over which Timor-Leste currently has the
honour of presiding, comprises 18 countries committed
to promoting a new model of engagement between
fragile States and other international stakeholders. The
New Deal for Engagement in Fragile States, promoted
by the g7+, has been well received by the United Nations,
development partners and international organizations.
The initiatives of the g7+ and the dynamic relationship
of the group with development partners contributes
to the establishment of more innovative and effective
international relations and cooperation.
The latest report on the Millennium Development
Goals (MDGs) states that most countries will not
achieve all the MDGs, and that is particularly true
in the case of fragile and conflict-affected States.
The international community as a whole must draw
lessons from that as we plan for the future. Many of
the world’s poorest have been left behind, including
around 1.5 billion people across the globe who live in
areas affected by fragility and conflict. That is why the
g7+ countries came together with the following vital
message: without peace there can be no development
and without development there can be no peace. And
to add a further dimension to that, there can be neither
peace nor development without inclusive and responsive
State institutions that are capable of being responsive
and attending to people’s needs.
At the regional level, we have established friendly
relations with neighbouring countries in South-East
Asia and the Pacific, in particular with Australia
and Indonesia, our closest neighbours, with whom
we maintain intense cooperation. The process of
reconciliation between Timor-Leste and Indonesia
and the excellent relations that our two countries have
developed represent a model whose lessons are useful
and relevant beyond our borders and outside our region.
Timor-Leste has submitted its application for
membership in the Association of Southeast Asian
Nations. We have developed friendly relations with
all member States of that organization, which makes
relevant contributions to stability in our region. Our
country is a member of the Non-Aligned Movement
and a special observer at the Pacific Islands Forum. We
play an active role in and are committed to multilateral
processes, which are important for regional stability
and security.
The unanimous election of Timor-Leste to chair
the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the
Pacific by the countries members of that United Nations
body reflects my country’s harmonious international
integration. As a member of the Community of
Portuguese-speaking Countries, we will have the
honour of chairing that organization in the period 2014-
2016. Timor-Leste believes in making its voice directly
heard in every multilateral forum of relevance to our
national interest and will submit an application for
membership in the Commonwealth of Nations.
Turning our attention to international matters
whose urgency especially appeals to our conscience,
my country has witnessed with horror the growing
violence in Syria. We welcome the agreement that was
reached to put Syria’s arsenal of chemical weapons
under United Nations control prior to its destruction.
Timor-Leste rejects the use of chemical weapons in
all circumstances. We are in favour of dialogue in the
search for negotiated solutions, with the involvement
of the United Nations. Only negotiation can help save
lives and alleviate the high toll that the Syrian people
are paying in human lives and social upheaval, which
has resulted in millions of internally displaced persons
and refugees.
In Timor-Leste, we know only too well the losses
and traumas of war. We are committed to preventing
violence in all its forms. Earlier this month, our Prime
Minister, Mr. Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão, joined the
Champions initiative to end sexual violence in conflict,
supporting the corresponding action launched by the
United Nations.
In a world undergoing a rapid transition towards
globalization, the Security Council must upgrade
its ability to effectively respond and must adjust its
composition to better reflect the realities of the twenty-
first century. New Powers, including India, Indonesia
and Brazil, among others, must be granted permanent
member status in the Security Council. At the same
time, my country is aware of the need for a better
representation of medium-sized and small countries
with relevant contributions to stability and peace. In that
spirit, Timor-Leste supports New Zealand’s candidacy
for a non-permanent seat at the Security Council for
the 2015-2016 term. New Zealand has actively worked
with us for peace and security in Timor-Leste, and
we believe it will both enhance the representation of
small States and be a constructive bridge-builder at the
Council.
On 30 August, Timor-Leste celebrated the
fourteenth anniversary of the referendum supervised
by the United Nations that allowed the Timorese
people to realize their right to self-determination and
independence. In contrast, there are peoples who, after
decades, continue to patiently wait for the realization
of that right. Such is the case of the Sahrawi people. A
stable and lasting solution for Western Sahara cannot
exist without the democratic expression of the will of
its people.
We commend the decision of the leaders of
the State of Israel and the Palestinian Authority to
resume direct talks under the auspices of the United
States Government. Timor-Leste supports the right
of the peoples of Palestine and Israel to live side by
side in peace, with dignity and in safety. We hope that
the peace talks already initiated may at last lead to a
solution with two sovereign States coexisting in an
environment of mutual respect and rejecting extremism
and violence. We condemn the building of settlements
in the occupied territories and all unilateral initiatives
contrary to resolutions of the United Nations.
We believe in dialogue, openness and inclusion as
a means of strengthening confidence in international
relations. Therefore, we call for an end to the embargo
against the Republic of Cuba, an embargo that does not
take into account the reality of today, of the country or
of the Cuban people. We also call on President Barack
Obama to act in accordance with his powers and release
the four Cuban citizens, from an initial group of five,
who have been incarcerated for over a decade in North
American prisons.
Allow me now to address the situation in Guinea-
Bissau, a sister nation to Timor-Leste in the Community
of Portuguese-speaking Countries currently
experiencing an easing of political and social tensions,
which we hope will lead to the re-establishment of
institutional normalcy and democracy. We welcome the
efforts of the United Nations Integrated Peacebuilding
Office in Guinea-Bissau, which were led by my
predecessor as Head of State of Timor-Leste, Mr. José
Manuel Ramos-Horta. His initiatives have helped to
enhance the prestige of the United Nations among the
people of Guinea-Bissau and to create an environment
of greater trust and dialogue in the country. The
problems of Guinea-Bissau can be solved. Timor-
Leste will continue to support the patient efforts of the
Guinean people and the international community aimed
at intensifying dialogue and reconciliation among the
people of Guinea-Bissau and promoting a democratic
solution within an appropriate time frame.
Among the critical global challenges facing
humankind today, I want to highlight the severity of
malnutrition, which affects hundreds of millions of
people worldwide. The dual challenges of improving
food security and reducing malnutrition on a
global scale require a renewed boost from all of us,
including development partner countries. Without
new coordinated initiatives and greater investment to
promote improving food security and the fight against
malnutrition, it will not be possible to make rapid
and sure progress towards attaining the Millennium
Development Goals. The new objectives are defined in
the post-2015 development agenda, due to be launched
by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
Timor-Leste is following, with great interest,
the post-2015 development agenda process and was
honoured by the invitation to Dr. Emilia Pires, our
Minister of Finance, to participate in the High-level
Panel that drafted a proposal for the agenda, following a
request by the Secretary-General of the United Nations.
The past experience of the Timorese people and the
country’s liberation struggle, in which we were engaged
for 24 years, have demonstrated that only tolerance,
dialogue and mutual respect, which the Timorese
resistance consistently showed and I have consistently
supported — in short, veneration for the dignity of
people — will allow us to reach durable solutions to
disputes between countries.
In a world where challenges are rapidly becoming
globalized, requiring concerted and effective responses,
the actions of the United Nations are more than ever
essential for the stability of international relations.
Timor-Leste will continue to show its commitment
to the United Nations, so that the Organization may
better respond to the desires of Member States and the
challenges they face, and to unhesitatingly assert the
values of peace and mutual respect. I wish the Assembly
the best of luck in its work.