Portugal

I wish to begin by congratulating you, Sir, on your election as President of the General Assembly. The Assembly is the central body of the United Nations architecture. Here, all Member States are truly represented and each has a vote, irrespective of its size, population or economic power. Here is where the central decisions that determine the functioning of the other bodies are made. Here, we are all permanent members, embodying the principle of the sovereign equality of all States. Here in the General Assembly, Portugal is guided by the objective of doing its best to strengthen the United Nations. There are no true alternatives to the Organization. Its unique role in managing international relations is more evident than ever, and it is our duty to further enhance this role in order to attain a progressive and solid strengthening of the United Nations. I repeat, there are no alternative mechanisms to the United Nations. For this reason, all Member States should work to reinvigorate the Organization. Portugal is guided by the principles of national independence, respect for human rights, equality among States, peaceful solutions to conflicts and international cooperation as the main elements that drive development and the progress of humankind. These principles are all inscribed in the Portuguese Constitution. These are also the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter. Allow me to underline some of them, which today are more important than ever: maintaining international peace and security, the development and progress of all peoples, friendly relations among all nations based on sovereign equality, international cooperation in solving economic, cultural and humanitarian crises and the promotion of human rights and fundamental freedoms. The maintenance of international peace and security, is surely one of the noblest of our objectives. The Charter defines the way we, the United Nations, should act together to prevent or remove threats to peace and how to respond to acts of aggression or other violations of our universal principles. Portugal has been an active contributor to United Nations peacekeeping and peacebuilding operations in Europe, Asia, Africa and Oceania. Our efforts have always been global and generous. Tens of thousands of Portuguese have participated in peace operations. We are now present in places as diverse as Afghanistan, South Lebanon, Timor-Leste, the Western Balkans, Chad and the Democratic Republic of Congo. We participate in United Nations peacekeeping operations and other missions according to our means and, quite frequently, above and beyond what our size, would require. Nevertheless, we continue doing it with the firm conviction that collective security calls for collective efforts. Moreover, the United Nations can continue to count on the Portuguese contribution to this collective endeavour. Looking at the present challenges to international peace and security, allow me to refer to the situation in the Middle East, a conflict involving many negative influences in the relations between several peoples and cultures. The coming year will be critical to the peace process. The choice is clear: peace or a return to instability. We welcome the return to direct negotiations aimed at reaching a two-State solution. We all have to 25 10-55103 join efforts for the creation of an independent, democratic, contiguous and viable Palestinian State living side by side, in mutual peace and security, with the State of Israel. I would also like to mention Afghanistan where the international community has assumed a firm commitment to support reconstruction and development. The results of the Kabul Conference will have to be complemented at the upcoming NATO summit in Lisbon, with a view to ensuring a sustainable transition process, mainly led by the Afghans themselves. International peace and security require effective multilateral action among United Nations bodies. Effective multilateralism needs to be based on working structures with which every Member State feels comfortable. The United Nations is indispensable. It alone is capable of confronting global threats, it alone has the capacity to respond to acute natural disasters, as we have seen in several recent situations, like the Haitian earthquake or the Pakistan floods, and it alone can effectively shelter and feed millions of refugees worldwide, thanks to the outstanding work of the Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees, led by António Guterres, one of the most distinguished Portuguese political leaders. It is especially urgent to reform the United Nations and to adapt it to today’s international realities. Any reform must be based on the objectives that inspired its creation. Its pivotal place at the centre of the international architecture has to be preserved, for the United Nations is the only forum where no one feels excluded, the only body where all States, including small and medium-sized countries, have their own voice and their own say in solving global problems. The establishment of the Peacebuilding Commission — an idea put forward by Portugal — was a significant step in the reform process. But we also have to look at the Security Council with a view to its enlargement. I sincerely believe that we can all succeed in reshaping the Council and making it more representative, more efficient and more transparent. Mr. Ould Hadrami (Mauritania), Vice-President, took the Chair. In our view, it is illogical that countries like Brazil or India, which have an irreplaceable role in today’s international economic and political life, are still not permanent members of the Security Council. Africa, as well, has to be considered in this enlargement of the permanent membership. It is of the utmost importance that Africa be fairly treated, given the remarkable political and economic progress we all have witnessed on that vast continent — continent with which Portugal feels a permanent affinity. It is only natural that we have been so closely linked to the strengthening of relations between Africa and the Europe Union (EU), having hosted the summit in Lisbon where the Joint Africa-EU Strategy was designed. We are now looking forward to the third Africa-EU summit. The implementation of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) is urgent. Let me congratulate the Secretary-General and the members of the General Assembly on the results achieved at the recent High-level Meeting. We are firmly committed to applying the agreed political vision to mobilize efforts to meet the targets over the next five years. International stability cannot be achieved and maintained without economic and social prosperity worldwide. The present economic and financial situation shows that we all benefit from common solutions to global problems. In this context, I call for a reinforced participation of developing countries and regional groupings and communities in ongoing debates, including the reform of the international financial organizations and their interaction with the United Nations system. Another field where interdependence urges us to act jointly is climate change. It is a matter of survival. We shall do our part to ensure that the Cancún summit is a step in the right direction. Portugal has consistently worked to reduce its carbon footprint by investing solidly in renewable energy. I am proud to be able to announce that we have already met the target that my country announced here last year. Portugal is already producing 45 per cent of its electricity from local renewable sources, and by 2020 it intends to reach 66 per cent. It now holds the fifth place in Europe — and in the world — in terms of use of renewable energy. It has the largest wind park in Europe — and the second largest in the world — and it holds the record for the highest amount of wind energy 10-55103 26 generated. It has the largest photovoltaic park in the world and is a leader in the area of electric vehicles. Portugal is now considered one of the 10 most promising countries for energy investment. Portugal has been sharing this experience and this knowledge with a number of developing countries, and we continue to intensify this cooperation through concrete partnerships and technology transfer and knowledge, supporting efforts towards adaptation and mitigation, in accordance with the commitments made in Copenhagen. Some of our partners are least developed countries and small island developing States. They are among those that pollute the least but suffer the most from climate change. It is urgent that the international community take the necessary measures to reduce their vulnerability. This year marks the beginning of the United Nations Decade for Deserts and the Fight Against Desertification. Portugal recognizes the right to water, as well as the right to education, adequate housing and health. Ensuring that every human being has access to drinking water and adequate sanitation is also a good way of accelerating the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals. My country, an independent State for almost 1,000 years, commemorates this year the centennial of the Portuguese Republic. We are today a democracy with solid credentials in terms of human rights and their promotion worldwide. We firmly believe in the rule of law and have learned through our own experience that peace and prosperity are attainable only when they are truly and freely shared by all States. Portugal is also a country that is accustomed to listening to its partners. We are members of the European Union, the Atlantic Alliance, and the Community of Portuguese-speaking Countries, currently presided over by Angola, which I congratulate. Portuguese is the fifth most widely spoken language in the world and is present on all continents. Portugal also participates in the Alliance of Civilizations, a forum that is at the forefront of the much-needed intercultural dialogue among regions, which is ably led by Jorge Sampaio, former President of my country. Portugal’s action at the United Nations is rooted in our capacity for open dialogue with every Member State and in our ability to build bridges and forge consensus. We always seek to defend our values through dialogue, not by imposing our views. Our attitude is not driven by any temporary need to please some constituencies. We aspire to be judged by our actions. This is our motivation for seeking active participation in all United Nations bodies for which the composition is rotational. This universal vision of dialogue and openness to the world characterizes our current candidature for a non-permanent seat on the Security Council. We belong to the United Nations because we strongly believe in its values, objectives and universality; because we maintain that mutual respect should be the cornerstone of international action; and because we think that the strengthening of the United Nations and its activities is surely one of the most noble and idealistic objectives of all those who, like the Heads of State and Government participating here, strive each and every day to achieve a better world.