Portugal

I wish the President all the best for this General Assembly. Along with Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, he can count on Portugal’s firm support in his work. Allow me to begin by endorsing fully Sweden’s intervention as the country holding the presidency of the European Union. Fighting climate change is both a moral imperative and a matter of survival. This is no longer a long-term issue. Its consequences are evident everywhere; from the small island States to Portugal, we can all witness it. The time to act is now. I congratulate the Secretary-General on the timely high- level meeting on climate change. The objective of mobilizing political will and vision for the climate negotiations has been fulfilled. The process of political consciousness-raising is done. Governments are now better prepared to take the decisions necessary for an ambitious agreement in Copenhagen. At December’s Climate Change Summit, every State should take on bold commitments, to the extent that their respective responsibilities and capacities allow, so that the post- 2012 world can meet the challenge. If, however, we leave Copenhagen with limited results and small, insignificant reforms, we will be failing in our historic responsibilities. We are all affected by climate change, but it is obvious that the consequences are not equally distributed. The least developed countries and small island States, despite being the lowest polluters, suffer the most from the effects of climate change, and their greater vulnerability imposes a larger responsibility on the international community. Being part of a community means having a responsibility to the other members of the community; so, when we talk about the international community, we automatically imply that it is our duty to support these countries in their adaptation and mitigation efforts. The General Assembly’s resolution 63/281, on the impact of climate change on global security, is a good step forward. But it must be followed up. The United Nations should promote in-depth debates on this matter at all relevant levels during the session we are now starting. Portugal is a country that has built its history through an extraordinary relationship with the sea. It is, therefore, natural for us to promote the sustainable development of oceans and their resources with a coherent and coordinated approach. We see this as a strategic issue for the whole world. In this regard, Portugal has contributed in multiple contexts, including to the maritime policy of the European Union and the ocean strategy of the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries (CPLP). The preservation of the environment must also tackle the energy question. Climate change brings challenges but also great opportunities. Fully conscious of this, Portugal is strongly committed to renewable energy sources: solar, wind, hydro, biomass and wave power. In 2010 we plan to produce 45 per cent of our energy from renewable sources. By 2020 we will reach 60 per cent. Furthermore, Portugal has one of the lowest carbon-emission rates per capita in the European Union, and we are ready to share our experience in this area with all interested Member States. A year ago, when we gathered in this Hall for the opening of the sixty-third session of the Assembly, the world was waking up to an economic and financial crisis that we are still dealing with today. Recent positive signs bear witness to the results of international cooperation in the face of this common threat, but we are aware that the effects of this crisis continue to be felt in the daily lives of millions of people all over the world, and that the most vulnerable are once again the main victims. We are convinced that the international financial system must be guided by principles of responsibility and transparency, and that regulation and supervision must be strengthened. We can and should make sure that international markets are based on the values, principles and standards of conduct that we share. We should also ensure that the benefits of economic globalization have a more universal impact. The United Nations Global Compact is an important contribution to this end. The solution to this issue was not, is not and will never be protectionism. Closing the door on our neighbours and partners means leaving people in poverty and failing to solve our medium- to long-term domestic problems. It is therefore crucial that we bring the Doha Round to a rapid conclusion in a way that corresponds fully to the sustainable global development objectives that have been outlined. At the same time, we renew our firm commitment to the Millennium Development Goals. We cannot allow the economic crisis to affect the gains we have achieved through this process. A State that forgets the common good will sooner or later find instability, poverty and 09-52604 52 insecurity knocking at its door. Portugal, with its sense of collective responsibility and international cohesion, will continue to contribute to the limits of its capacity. We concentrate a large part of our action on development aid in Africa, where poverty is most marked. In this regard, I would like to mention that Portugal is currently a co-president of the Africa Partnership Forum and, in this capacity, in concert with our African partners, we have communicated to the G-20 the specific concerns and interests of the continent in areas such as the response to the economic and financial crisis and climate change. In the context of Africa, we continue to be firmly committed to implementing the first European Union Action Plan and Common Strategy, adopted at the second European Union and Africa Summit in Lisbon in December 2007. Allow me at this point to salute the people of Guinea-Bissau for their conduct of the recent elections in their country. It is now up to the Guinean institutions to maintain and consolidate peace and stability, and it is up to the international community to increase its assistance in order to strengthen the building of institutions and security sector reform in Guinea- Bissau. Portugal will continue to be strongly committed to this process, bearing in mind the wishes expressed by the democratically elected institutions of Guinea-Bissau. This month we celebrate the tenth anniversary of the self-determination referendum of Timor-Leste, and we take this opportunity to pay a heartfelt tribute to the East-Timorese people. The referendum was the corollary of the affirmation of Timor-Leste’s identity and its admirable will towards peace and development as a sovereign nation. Guinea-Bissau and Timor-Leste are two countries that demonstrate the growing involvement of the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries in promoting peace, democracy, human rights, political stability and social and economic development. One of the fundamental pillars of that organization, over which Portugal currently presides, is the promotion of the Portuguese language, one of the five most widely spoken languages in the world and the vehicle of communication for more than 250 million people, connecting States and peoples in all corners of the world. It is therefore ever more pressing and fair that Portuguese be made an official or working language in international organizations. Portugal is also assuming the pro tempore presidency of the Ibero-American Conference on Culture, whose summit will take place this year in Estoril, Portugal, with innovation and knowledge as its theme. In this regard, I wish to emphasize that, as President of the CPLP and the Ibero-American Conference, Portugal has, through regional institutions and organizations, supported the participation and involvement of emerging economies and developing countries in the debate over the reform of the international financial system. Regarding the situation in Honduras, we call for the speedy re-establishment of democratic and constitutional legality, and we recall the inviolability of the diplomatic mission of Brazil, under the principles of the Vienna Convention. The CPLP and the Ibero-American Conference are true paradigms of intercontinental cooperation, based on a communion of cultures and values. We also consider these paradigms to be the spirit and the essence of the Alliance of Civilizations. Thus, it is with great satisfaction that we witness the enormous progress in the work of the Alliance and that we shall participate in the Third Forum of the Alliance, to be held in Brazil in 2010, which will be an event in which the CPLP will have a special role. I take this opportunity to congratulate the High Representative of the Secretary-General for his Office’s valuable work. Portugal is proud to have been among the first signatories of the Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, which has just been opened for signature. We call on all States Members of the United Nations to do so as well, so that this new international human rights instrument may enter into effect and bring about respect for all human rights for every human being. Equally fundamental in the defence and promotion of human dignity is the continuous action of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, as well as the recent appointment of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence against Children. In both cases I would like to highlight the committed, tireless and effective way in which they have assumed their responsibilities. Terrorism and the proliferation of nuclear weapons are the greatest challenges to international peace and security. In combating these threats it is 53 09-52604 essential that we implement the respective international regimes and continue to invest in international cooperation, in particular in the framework of the United Nations. All States that signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty must honour their obligations without reservations. Regarding the maintenance of international peace and security, we have never demanded so much from the United Nations. If peacekeeping operations are to have the outcome that they deserve, clear, credible and achievable mandates are absolutely necessary, as is the engagement of all Member States through contribution of personnel. Portugal has assumed its share, with both financial and operational contributions. More than 20,000 members of Portuguese armed forces and 3,000 from the Portuguese police forces have participated so far in peacekeeping operations. Today, we have peacekeepers in Timor-Leste, Lebanon, Afghanistan and Chad. One of the main challenges to international peace and security is the conflict in the Middle East. Portugal reiterates its support for a two-State solution, with the creation of an independent, democratic and viable Palestinian State, to exist side by side in peace and security with the State of Israel. But to attain this objective it is paramount that Palestine have a territory that enables it to exist as a State. In this context, Portugal will continue to support all efforts, in particular those of Egypt and the United States, for the return to the negotiation process in accordance with Security Council resolution 1860 (2009) and in accordance with the principles contained in the various peace initiatives, particularly the Arab Peace Initiative. We are living in a time of opportunity, and it is fundamental that the increasingly united opinion of the international community be fully listened to by the parties. In Iraq and in Afghanistan, we welcome the progress achieved in the past few years, but we recognize the need for the continued commitment of the international community. I hereby affirm the guarantee that Portugal will continue to assume its share of the burden. Climate change, the financial and economic crisis, sustainable development, human rights, threats to the international peace and security: to face such a vast array of global challenges, there is no more appropriate forum than the United Nations, no other strategic agent that may transmit our collective response. Today, more than ever, the collective interest reflects the national concern of each of us. Today, more than ever, I subscribe to Dag Hammarskjöld’s vision of a United Nations as a dynamic instrument to develop means of executive action that is not limited to being simply a mechanism consisting of static conferences for the resolution of conflicts of interests and ideologies. To ensure that the multilateralism we profess is truly effective, to ensure that the primacy of the United Nations in international politics and the respect for international law is not mere rhetoric, to ensure that this Organization is increasingly more like the dynamic instrument that Dag Hammarskjöld envisioned, we must further the reform of the United Nations. We must seek in this General Assembly a broad consensus that will enable what we all know is necessary to take place, namely, the reform of the Security Council. In so doing we should ask ourselves whether a Security Council without Brazil and India as permanent members, and where Africa is not represented with that same status, is a truly representative Council. Is it consistent to defend a more efficient and transparent Organization and yet to have a Security Council without reform of its working methods? Let us not be satisfied with merely a discussion of a better Organization. Let us build together a more efficient, transparent and representative United Nations. Since 2000, Portugal has been a candidate for a non-permanent seat in the Security Council for the biennium 2011-2012. Our candidacy is consistent with the history of our engagement with the United Nations, our capacity to listen and dialogue with other peoples and cultures, and our commitment towards fair and balanced solutions in international issues. We are a candidate in the name of representativeness and the right of all countries, including those of small and medium size, which constitute the majority of the Members of this Organization, to be present in the Security Council. We are a candidate for the benefit of sustainable development and on behalf of the human values that bind us together, of the inalienable rights of 09-52604 54 all human beings and of our common aspiration for a more just and peaceful world.