As this is the first time
that I take the floor before the General Assembly,
at the headquarters of international legitimacy and
multilateralism, I would like to begin by reiterating
Portugal’s firm and unwavering commitment to the
United Nations, its Charter and the values and principles
that guide its action.
I congratulate the President on his election. His long
international career and vast experience in the United
Nations system have placed him in a privileged position
to preside over the central organ of the Organization.
His election reflects a recognition on the part of all
Member States of the strong commitment to the United
Nations and multilateralism of his country, Antigua
and Barbuda, the Caribbean Community and the Group
of Latin American and Caribbean States. I would also
like to convey my country’s acknowledgement of the
dynamism and dedication with which the President of
the General Assembly at its previous session, Mr. Vuk
Jeremi., performed his duties. I wish also to express
special appreciation for the Secretary-General’s
untiring work in defence of peace during an extremely
challenging period for the international community. As
always, the Secretary-General can continue to count on
Portugal’s support.
I take this opportunity to strongly condemn the
terrorist attack that occurred in Nairobi and to deliver a
message of solidarity to the authorities and the people
of Kenya. Acts such as those remind us that efforts
to combat terrorism continue to be of paramount
importance. We will not live in a world of peace and
liberty or in an environment of tolerance and mutual
respect until we eradicate terrorism.
The Organization was created to save succeeding
generations from the scourge of war, basing its action
on faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity
and worth of the human person. The United Nations has
undertaken much in its 68 years to achieve those goals
globally. Unfortunately, in many regions those goals
remain an illusion. Such is the case in Syria, where the
horrors of war and the unspeakable suffering of the
population now prevail. The devastating images that
reach us daily show a country that is being physically
destroyed. The numbers speak for themselves: more
than 100,000 dead, almost 7 million people in need of
humanitarian assistance, 4 million internally displaced
persons and 2 million refugees. A tragedy on that
scale is the result of serious and systematic violations
of human rights and international humanitarian law,
aggravated by the recent and unacceptable use of
chemical weapons, something we believed had been
universally banished forever.
The world was shocked at the use of chemical
weapons in Ghouta on 21 August. I want to be
very clear about this: the use of chemical weapons
represents a violation of international law, a heinous
crime and a regression from civilization. We cannot
stand idle in the face of such a violation of the barrier
between civilization and barbarism, a barrier that the
international community has vowed never to cross
again. We, the members of the Assembly, once again
face a serious international crisis where we are in a
position to reaffirm the centrality of the United Nations
in solving it. With the Security Council blocked and
powerless, it was the absence of the United Nations
in the period when prevention and control were still
possible that allowed the Syrian crisis to reach such
dramatic and unacceptable political and humanitarian
proportions. We would certainly have had fewer
casualties and refugees, and would surely not now be
dealing with a huge international crisis resulting from
the use of chemical weapons. Now, when an agreement
has been reached to remove the threat posed by the
chemical arsenal of the Syrian regime once and for all,
the international community has again turned to the
Security Council.
I would like to commend the enormous political
and diplomatic efforts of the United States and Russia,
with the involvement of Joint Special Envoy Lakhdar
Brahimi. The commitment and spirit of compromise
that they demonstrated in the process enabled them
to arrive at an important agreement and the adoption
yesterday of Security Council resolution 2118 (2013),
which, hopefully, will ensure its implementation.
The Security Council, in close collaboration with the
Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons,
has assumed its responsibilities under the Charter of
the United Nations, finally creating a prospect for hope
for a global political solution to the Syrian issue. It is
now essential that we seize the opportunity created by
the initiative on chemical weapons to consolidate the
political-diplomatic track and hold the “Geneva II”
conference. Nevertheless, the primary responsibility
for resolving the Syrian crisis lies with the parties to the
conflict. Without their will and commitment, no political
solution is possible. The international community must
keep up the pressure on the parties, particularly the
Damascus regime, with a view to achieving a peaceful
and sustainable democratic future in which every sector
of Syrian society feels represented.
The Middle East has also seen some positive recent
developments with the resumption of the peace process
between Israel and Palestine. I would like to reaffirm
before the Assembly Portugal’s full support for that
process. I congratulate the United States of America
on its initiative and applaud the Palestinian and Israeli
authorities for the courage and leadership shown in their
decision to resume negotiations. There can be no lasting
peace, stability or security in the Middle East unless the
question of Palestine is settled. The present opportunity
to ensure security for all and justice, finally, for the
Palestinians must not be missed. We have a unique
opportunity to find a peaceful solution on the basis of
United Nations resolutions and internationally agreed
parameters that establishes a sovereign, independent
and viable Palestinian State and addresses Israel’s
security concerns.
Also in the Middle East, we have been following
with great concern the prolonged deadlock in the
search for a solution to the Iranian nuclear issue. It is
regrettable that, despite all the diplomatic efforts and
pressure on the part of the international community,
no solid progress has been made so far. Nevertheless,
we view as positive signs the recent statements made
by high-ranking Iranian officials, in particular by
President Hassan Rouhani here in the General Assembly
(see A/68/PV.6). I appeal to the Iranian authorities
to translate those encouraging political signals into
concrete steps conducive to a negotiated solution that
can restore the international community’s confidence
in a peaceful and civilian Iranian nuclear programme.
Another issue of concern is the situation in the
Republic of Guinea-Bissau, where the constitutional
order has been subverted since the coup d’état of
12 April 2012. As a member of the European Union, the
Community of Portuguese-speaking Countries (CPLP)
and the United Nations, and in close coordination with
the Economic Community of West African States,
as well as through bilateral measures, Portugal is
continuing with its efforts to help the people of Guinea-
Bissau overcome the current crisis. We acknowledge
the work done by Special Representative of the
Secretary-General Ramos-Horta to promote a dialogue
among the main political actors with a view to restoring
the constitutional order. The formation of an inclusive
Government was, in that sense, a step forward.
However, restoring constitutional order and
normalizing Guinea-Bissau’s relations with the
international community require that presidential
and legislative elections be held, in accordance with
the commitments undertaken by the current Guinean
authorities and as reiterated in the press statement
issued by the President of the Security Council on
11 September. We are, however, very concerned about
the possibility that has been raised of a new extension
of the transitional period. The international community
should also emphasize that for the elections to be
free, fair and transparent, the current authorities must
guarantee that all Guinean citizens, without exception,
can participate in those elections, in full enjoyment
of their rights, including the rights of the freedoms of
speech and association. Only a new Government that
enjoys the legitimacy conferred by a free popular vote
and is appointed in accordance with the Constitution
can promote long-overdue reforms in the security,
administration and justice sectors.
The crisis in Guinea-Bissau also has clear and
worrying connections with the Sahel region through
drug-trafficking routes. Europe, and especially its
southern countries, is following the situation in
the Sahel with particular concern. I can assure the
Assembly that we will continue to make every effort
to help stabilize the region. In that context, the United
Nations integrated strategy for the Sahel represents a
major contribution.
Portugal is currently co-President of the Western
Mediterranean forum known as the 5+5 initiative,
which brings together 10 countries on the northern
and southern Mediterranean coasts. The dialogue and
confidence-building that that informal instrument
provides represents important added value for its
members and the region. We are therefore engaged in
exploring all of its potential for cooperation.
The Charter of the United Nations defends the
importance of using international mechanisms to
promote the economic and social advancement of all
peoples. In the noble spirit of the United Nations and
following the historic and inspiring launch in 2000
of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the
current session of the General Assembly will be a
critical launching pad for defining our priorities and the
path we will follow in our common efforts towards the
2015 summit at which we will adopt our development
principles and goals for the coming years.
I commend the President for the timeliness of his
choice of theme for this general debate, “The post-
2015 development agenda: setting the stage”. On
25 September, I had an opportunity to participate in the
special event on the Millennium Development Goals,
which enabled us to thoroughly discuss the progress
achieved to date on the MDGs and provide important
guidance for our future work. It is our conviction that
the set of MDGs should serve as the reference point for
establishing the new development agenda, which should
maintain a focus on poverty reduction and sustainable
development in all its dimensions, while giving special
attention to the needs of least developed countries.
But we need a broader, more inclusive and strategic
vision. We must go beyond the traditional relationship
between donors and recipients to create partnerships that
involve new international actors. For Portugal, different
modalities of assistance, new sources of financing
and a strengthened principle of shared responsibility,
leadership and ownership on the part of developing
countries are the main guiding principles for the post-
2015 development agenda. The inaugural meeting of the
High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development
was politically highly significant. Portugal remains
committed to ensuring that the Forum acts as a catalyst
for international efforts, ensuring a more efficient and
coherent link between the various processes in the area
of sustainable development and poverty eradication.
In the context of the outcome of the 2012 United
Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, I
would like to stress the importance of progress on the
issue of oceans, which is a crucial matter for a maritime
country like Portugal. We welcome Member States’
commitment to discussing the issue of the conservation
and sustainable use of marine biodiversity beyond
areas of national jurisdiction. In this context, Portugal
is strongly in favour of the negotiation and adoption
of an international instrument in the framework of the
United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
Reforms and institutional innovations such as those
I have just mentioned represent important changes
in the architecture of the United Nations, adapting
and preparing it for new times and new challenges.
However, the reform of our Organization will never be
complete without Security Council reform, including of
its working methods and, above all, of its composition.
It is increasingly difficult to justify why countries such
as Brazil and India are not permanent members of the
Security Council. As stated on previous occasions,
Portugal is of the view that Africa also deserves
permanent representation in that body. It is imperative
that Africa be treated in a way that is just and reflects its
size, economic growth and its weight in today’s world.
I take this opportunity to congratulate the African
Union and its member States on the fiftieth anniversary
of the continent’s regional organization.
Portugal firmly believes in multilateralism and in
the United Nations as the centre for harmonizing the
actions of nations in the attainment of common ends.
We contribute actively to the work of our Organization
through a committed participation in its bodies, but we
have not yet had a chance to serve on the Human Rights
Council. We therefore hope to be able to count on the
support of the Assembly in the elections for that body
to take place in 2014. We accept and have implemented
virtually all of the 86 recommendations that resulted
from our experience in the Council’s universal periodic
review (UPR) of 2009. We will submit to a new UPR
in 2014.
If the Assembly invests its trust in us to elect us to
serve for the 2015-2017 triennium, we will fulfil our
mandate in the deep conviction that the United Nations
human-rights-protection system should remain strong,
independent, impartial and demanding, and that, in
this regard, we should always resolve to aim higher.
We will continue in the same vein as we approached
our membership of the Security Council in 2011-
2012, characterized by openness to dialogue and by a
constructive and balanced attitude, and seeking to build
bridges and generate consensus, without relinquishing
values and fundamental principles.
The Portuguese language is the common element of
unity that brings together the diversity of States of the
Community of Portuguese-speaking Countries. We are
a Community of eight countries, with about 250 million
speakers spread across four continents. Portuguese is
the third most widely spoken European language in the
world, with a growing role and status on the international
scene, both as a vehicle of communication and as an
economic language used in trade and business, culture
and social networks.
In October, Lisbon will host the second conference
on the status of the Portuguese language in the
international system, at which participants will consider
the challenges faced by their common language.
Portuguese is currently the official or working language
of several international organizations, including some
specialized agencies of the United Nations. The CPLP
has the ambition and goal of seeing Portuguese adopted
as an official language of the United Nations. I take
this opportunity to salute the Mozambican presidency
of the CPLP and its efforts to strengthen and deepen
our Community.
I conclude by wishing the greatest success for the
General Assembly at this session. The Assembly can
count on Portugal’s active contribution and support in
upholding international law, promoting the peaceful
settlement of disputes, defending and promoting human
rights, and working towards greater prosperity for all of
humankind.