Allow me to convey to the
President and to this noble Assembly the greetings of
His Excellency Mr. Fradique Bandeira Melo de
Menezes, the President of the Democratic Republic of
Sao Tome and Principe, who cannot attend this meeting
for scheduling reasons. Since this is his last term as
President on constitutional grounds, President de
Menezes would have much liked to participate in this
sixty-fifth session in order to personally express his
sincere and heartfelt thanks for the support and
cooperation of our Organization provided to him
during the period of his presidency.
On behalf of the delegation of the Democratic
Republic of Sao Tome and Principe, which I have the
honour to lead, I would like to congratulate the
President of the General Assembly on his election to
chair this sixty-fifth session of the General Assembly.
His election is proof that the Member countries of this
Organization recognize the contribution that he and his
country, Switzerland, have made to the cause of peace
and to upholding the noble ideals of freedom,
democracy and human rights in the world. We are
therefore convinced that he will guide our work with
dexterity, clarity and success. We also congratulate him
for the relevance of the theme “Reaffirming the central
role of the United Nations in global governance”,
which merits the attention of all present here on
account of its timeliness.
We salute the very distinguished Secretary-
General of the United Nations, Mr. Ban Ki-moon, for
the efforts, dedication and skill with which he has
guided our Organization, despite the enormous
political, economic and social challenges that the world
is facing, in particular with regard to the issues of
peace, international security, underdevelopment,
extreme poverty, climate change, food security and the
continuation of some regional conflicts. It is our deep
conviction that, in order to collectively face such
challenges, we must reaffirm and strengthen our
confidence in the role of the United Nations in
promoting peace and justice in the world.
The defence of multilateralism is of vital
importance in seeking solutions based on the principles
of the United Nations Charter. The role of the United
Nations in preventing and resolving conflicts,
promoting peace and supporting development should
be bolstered. In that regard, it is vital to strengthen the
role of the United Nations, including reforming the
system and the Security Council, in order to provide
responses that are more consistent with the challenges
facing humanity today.
We echo the concerns expressed in this Assembly
Hall by the President of Malawi and Chairperson of the
African Union in that regard. The consensus to date on
the question of Western Sahara leads us to urge the
parties involved to continue on the path of dialogue in
pursuit of a peaceful settlement of that conflict.
Our global security is vital to the sustainable
development of our countries. The international
community must be cautious and aware of the risks
that the Palestinian conflict could spread and endanger
the entire Middle East region and ultimately
international peace and security in the larger world.
Sao Tome and Principe welcomes the resumption
of the dialogue on the Palestine question and
encourages the Government of the State of Israel and
the Palestinian Authority to continue on that course in
the hope that the peoples of Israel and Palestine will
live side by side in peace in the future. My country
would also like to acknowledge and welcome the
personal commitment of President Barack Obama to
finding a permanent solution to that conflict.
The world faces other risks, such as transnational
crime, piracy and drug trafficking. For us, a small
country surrounded by a vast expanse of sea, that is a
significant reason for concern. Sao Tome and Principe
will therefore continue to pay particular attention to the
regional integration organizations to which we belong,
as well as to give priority to conflict-prevention, -
management and -resolution mechanisms in order to
ensure security and peace in Central Africa.
The profound changes taking place in
international politics, which are the result of structural
changes in the global economy and have important
geopolitical implications, have been affecting Sao
Tome and Principe in various ways. As a small island
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State, Sao Tome and Principe therefore calls for greater
access to various economic opportunities, in particular
official development assistance and international
investment. Moreover, we support the conclusion of a
new international trade agreement on a more equitable
and fairer basis, as well as the conclusion of the United
Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
We welcome the appointment of Ms. Michelle
Bachelet, former President of Chile, to oversee matters
relating to women and gender with a view to promoting
their participation in global challenges.
At the Millennium Summit in 2000, world leaders
committed themselves to creating an environment
conducive to development and the eradication of
poverty, both nationally and internationally. The
adoption of the Millennium Declaration was followed
by other international conferences, which, although
they reaffirmed the commitment of both the donor
community and the countries receiving aid to seek
innovative funding sources and alternatives, did not
have the desired effect of alleviating world poverty
levels. However, it is vital that we create a new spirit
of partnership and a better concept of cooperation for
development. To that end, there is a need for additional
efforts in the area of official development assistance.
The High-level Meeting that has just taken place
here in New York is proof of our concern about the
benchmarks to be achieved for the attainment of the
Millennium Development Goals. For our part, the
results in the area of education and health are fairly
encouraging, particularly when it comes to reducing
child mortality and combating HIV/AIDS, malaria and
other diseases.
With regard to education for all, our net enrolment
rate in the first cycle of primary education — for children
aged one to four — is estimated at 98 per cent.
Literacy rates in the 15 to 24 age group are high as
compared to most African countries, namely, 96 per
cent for females and 95 per cent for males.
The results in reducing child mortality have been
equally encouraging. In 2009, we recorded 38 deaths
per 1,000 live births. That is a significant reduction
compared with past years. For example, there were 61
per 1,000 live births in 2002. The mortality rate for
children under five fell from 138 to 101 deaths per
1,000 live births in 2002, further dropping to 63 in
2009. The number of children immunized against
measles has increased substantially, with 84 per cent
vaccinated in 2009 as compared to 70 per cent in 2000.
With regard to the prevalence of HIV/AIDS, it is
still contained but can spread rapidly. The prevalence
rate in the 15 to 24 year age range is 0.7 per cent, but
among the total population aged 15 to 49 it is 1.5 per
cent. The prevalence rate of malaria has been reduced
dramatically, from 478 cases per 1,000 inhabitants in
2002 to about 34 cases in 2009.
It is true that our country has made significant
progress in the areas I have mentioned, but we are
aware that much more remains to be done in order to
achieve the Millennium Development Goals.
Sao Tome and Principe believes that it is our
collective responsibility to take measures to address
the adverse effects of climate change, although we
welcome the political willingness of Member States to
continue the process of building the necessary
consensus on the various themes discussed at the
Copenhagen Summit. We recognize the efforts made at
the recent meeting held in Bonn, as well as the
prospects for the opening meeting to be held in
Mexico.
Sao Tome and Principe expresses its concern at
attempts to use nuclear energy for non-peaceful
purposes. We hope that those who utilize nuclear
energy do so in accordance with existing mechanisms
for international regulation and supervision.
Climate change has caused imbalances in the
microclimate of our country, with dramatic impact on
our domestic production. That poses a threat to the
food security of Sao Tome and Principe. The
authorities of my country would therefore like to
continue to count on the invaluable support and
willingness so far expressed by the international
community, in general, and in particular by specialized
bodies of the United Nations.
I would be remiss if I concluded my statement
without addressing the situation along the Taiwan
Strait. We recognize the efforts made by both sides
along the Strait aimed at reducing political tension and
creating a favourable climate that is conducive to
peace, security and development in the region. Despite
those positive developments — including the signing
of an economic treaty regulating trade relations
between the two sides, opening up airspace to
commercial traffic and promoting stronger links
45 10-55128
between the two peoples — there are still some aspects
that must be addressed in order to allow greater
involvement by Taiwan in the international community.
We call on Members of the United Nations, and
in particular its specialized agencies, to find ways to
make possible Taiwan’s greater participation in
specialized agencies and other bodies and machinery,
such as the International Civil Aviation Organization
and the United Nations Framework Convention on
Climate Change. We believe that Taiwan’s participation
in those two forums will strengthen both those
mechanisms and better serve our common interests.
In consolidating its democratic process, the
Democratic Republic of Sao Tome and Principe has
just conducted yet another elections process, from
which a new Government and Assembly have emerged.
The new Government, whose programme has just been
approved by the National Assembly, has identified four
key areas for attention, namely, good governance,
credibility and combating corruption; economic
growth; national cohesion and organization; and State
authority. To achieve those objectives, the Government
of Sao Tome and Principe would very much like to
count on the continued support of the international
community.
We believe that the international community, and
in particular the United Nations system, knows how to
respond to the new challenges of a changing world by
seeking out mechanisms, instruments and policies
aimed at promoting international cooperation,
innovative partnerships and international solidarity. In
that collective effort, I want to reaffirm that Sao Tome
and Principe is ready and willing to make its
contribution to the realization of the noble principles
and objectives that were at the heart of the creation of
the United Nations.