First, I
congratulate Mr. Miguel d’Escoto Brockmann on his
election to the presidency of the Assembly at its sixty-
third session. I wish him a successful presidency. I also
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salute Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and express my
highest regard for his commitment to peace, dialogue
and prosperity for all.
The world grows in complexity, with its multiple
challenges and numerous risks and uncertainties. This
calls for increased multilateralism, more collective
responsibility and greater cooperation. In short, it
demands and expects more and better from the United
Nations.
The world is undergoing a profound and
multifaceted crisis in the financial, energy, food and
environmental areas. Indeed, we face an environment
fraught with uncertainty in the short and long term,
underscored by financial instability, foreign exchange
volatility, escalating oil and food prices and a globally
troubled world economy. There is risk to our economic,
human, political and military security — in other
words, our general and collective security.
On the one hand, organized transnational crime
and terrorism threaten international order and the rule
of law. On the other hand, the effects of global
warming and climate change, as well as the risks
imposed by their worsening, are real facts that confront
world leaders and institutions.
World peace remains out of reach. Areas of armed
conflict still exist. Indeed, they resurge repeatedly or
persist at low intensity. In the meantime, new sources
of tension arise in many places. However, I believe we
agree that war is not the best way to overcome these
challenges.
We also have failed to build security and trust
among all and for all, large and small, rich and poor.
Without security, without social stability, without
political and institutional cohesion, and above all
without mutual trust between the international political
actors, it is difficult to further the premises that may
contribute to ensuring a solution to major global
problems, resolving our main challenges, overcoming
extreme poverty and the most pervasive endemic
diseases, as well as moving past current global social
and economic imbalances.
With the adoption of the Millennium
Development Goals the international community
expressly undertook to contribute to overcoming this
unsustainable situation. I therefore urge the Assembly
to work towards the preservation of an international
environment favourable to the achievement of the
commitment that we undertook — the social and
economic growth of the poorest countries, the
eradication of extreme poverty, the consolidation of
peace, dialogue and international cooperation towards
international balance, the defence of life and the
planet’s future.
The current financial crisis is underscored by the
instability of the financial markets and the volatility in
the movement of capital, which put our worldwide
economic stability at risk. We must retain the global
financial architecture. It seems necessary for us to
agree on new forms of financial regulation that are
effective, trustworthy and acceptable to all.
The food crisis has placed hundreds of millions
of people in a precarious situation. It is clear that
urgent action is required to ensure increased
agricultural production capable of meeting current and
future needs. That requires the promotion of
agricultural policies consistent with the demands of the
situation, the partnership of the rich and
technologically more advanced countries and technical
assistance from international organizations; it means
that attention must be given to modernizing and
increasing agricultural production and productivity in
the affected countries and regions. I think specifically
of my country and the African continent.
Escalating oil prices have created serious
problems for the economies of the least developed and
non-producing countries. I ask, why not consider forms
of compensation for the poorest and most affected
nations in view of the enormous financial surpluses
that have been accumulated? Admittedly, such an act of
justice and solidarity would not be enough. We must
therefore act individually and collectively and continue
to promote energy alternatives and energy efficiency,
as well as encourage reduced dependence on fossil
fuels. Urgent and global measures are required to
overcome the serious environmental crisis and to
develop innovative and safe options for the future of
humanity. That is the challenge that we must take up
for the sake of the future and that we must overcome
for the benefit of all.
We surely agree that humanity is at a decisive
moment in history that clearly runs counter to the
paradigms of its recent past — a time when a new
world is painfully coming into being.
Recent experiences show that no single nation
can in isolation solve the great challenges and global
37 08-51839
problems which the world faces. However, our
universal institution does present the essential
conditions and the required collective responsibility for
such an endeavour. Therefore, it is incumbent on the
United Nations to shoulder the tremendous mission of
promoting more effective world governance.
However, to perform such a role, which is now
more complex than ever, the United Nations is called
upon to adapt itself to the challenges of the twenty-first
century, to express the major shaping forces of the
contemporary world and to ensure and convey
confidence to all of its Member States. Accordingly,
the United Nations system must be reformed and
improved and, above all, the representativeness and
legitimacy of the Security Council must be urgently
expanded and strengthened.
Thirty-five years ago, on 4 September 1973, the
Republic of Guinea-Bissau acceded to national
sovereignty. I salute the delegation of Guinea-Bissau in
this room. It is our firm conviction that our brother
nation will be able to overcome all the difficulties
currently facing it and to consolidate the foundations of
its stability under the rule of law.
Allow me also to welcome the recent legislative
elections in Angola and to congratulate the people and
authorities of Angola for the responsible and transparent
manner in which those important elections were
conducted.
I would further like to welcome the political
agreements that led to the end of the political crisis in
Zimbabwe. That is a testament to the emancipation of
our continent and to its aspiration to progress, and thus
helps to usher in the new era and the new world that
we so eagerly desire.