Angola

On behalf of the Government of the Republic of Angola, I avail myself of this opportunity to congratulate Mr. Vuk Jeremić on his election to preside over the General Assembly at its sixty-seventh session and to assure him of the support of my country in the fulfilment of his mission. It is our belief that under his leadership this session will confirm the importance and role of the General Assembly in finding solutions to the burning issues affecting humankind, thereby helping to make the world safer and fairer. I would also like to express our gratitude to Mr. Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser for the exemplary and wise manner in which he conducted the work of the Assembly at its previous session. I further salute Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for the dynamism he has invested in the work of our Organization. In this connection, I would like to thank him for his visit to my country in February of this year, during the celebration of the tenth anniversary of the advent of peace in Angola. During that visit, he had the opportunity to familiarize himself with the progress made in the reconstruction of the country and consolidation of democratic institutions. This session of the General Assembly is taking place at a time of profound international political, economic and social transformations, which reaffirm the relevance of the central theme of our discussion: maintaining international peace and security, eradicating poverty, promoting development, protecting the environment and ensuring a better future for generations to come, guaranteeing the rule of law in international relations, and promoting and ensuring the protection of human rights. These are indeed the main challenges facing us today. In addition to these, there are further challenges requiring priority attention from our Organization, including disarmament, the fight against organized crime, the implementation of the Global Counter- Terrorism Strategy, and the persistence of armed conflicts and their impact on people’s lives. Having had the painful experience of war, which still has major consequences for the lives of our people, Angola reiterates that dialogue and negotiation are the way to a peaceful resolution of conflict. Angola will continue to meet its obligations and fulfil its responsibilities at the international level, in particular with regard to Africa as a whole, as well as in the context of the regional economic and political groups to which it belongs, including the Southern African Development Community, the Community of Portuguese-speaking Countries, the Economic Community of Central African States and the International Conference of the Great Lakes Region. The international economic and financial crisis that is affecting all countries in the world continues to demand solutions, including the reform of the economic, financial and international trade system in order to serve the interests of all countries in a global perspective. In this regard, my Government reiterates its support for initiatives aimed at liberalizing international trade in line with the Doha Round. The reform of the international economic and financial system’s regulatory institutions is of crucial importance to ensure greater flexibility and transparency in allocating capital to the least developed countries — a category that includes the majority of African nations. It is also essential to take appropriate measures towards strengthened support for international action on sustainable development and increased financial contributions to the United Nations to enable our Organization to fulfil its mandate efficiently. It must do so by renewing its commitments to the sustainable development issues contained in Agenda 21, adopted at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. The United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development provided a solid framework for creating national and international policies to ensure the social, economic and environmental welfare of our peoples. We note that despite the progress made, there is a continued need for the international community to translate commitments into action in order to achieve sustainable development. Africa in general, and my country in particular, believe that intensive efforts on the part of the international community are needed to tackle the phenomena that threaten to reverse progress made with respect to development. Drought and desertification, climate change, natural disasters, loss of biodiversity and rapid urbanization are just some of the factors that adversely affect development efforts worldwide. The Security Council plays a key role in preventing and resolving conflicts, and in peacekeeping efforts, in accordance with the powers conferred upon it by the Charter of the United Nations. The central theme at the heart of our debate calls for reform of the Security Council, as well as ensuring the fair representation of all regions and the broadening of its permanent membership in order to adapt it to contemporary reality. Allow me to refer to a set of conflicts that are of critical concern to my country. In the Great Lakes region, the conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo continues to worry the international community. My country reaffirms its support for the decisions of the third extraordinary summit of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region, held in Kampala, as well as the efforts of the African Union and the Southern African Development Community. Angola welcomes the normalization of the legal and constitutional order in Somalia as a result of the completion of the transition process, including the inauguration of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud. Given that the situation remains unstable, Angola urges the international community to continue to support the stabilization process in that country. The situation in the Sudan has seen positive developments. Angola welcomes the recent agreements between the sisterly Republics of South Sudan and the Sudan, with a view to the settling of their disputes. Angola urges stakeholders to engage with one another and to show the political will necessary to implement the commitments undertaken. With respect to Mali, Angola deplores the worsening humanitarian situation resulting from the crisis prevailing in that country. Angola calls upon the international community to demonstrate its determination to preserve the unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Mali. In the sisterly nation of Guinea-Bissau, we advocate a comprehensive solution and the permanent normalization of the constitutional order, in accordance with the relevant resolutions of the Security Council, the African Union, the Community of Portuguese-speaking Countries and the Economic Community of West African States, as well as the wishes of all the internal actors, in order to stabilize the country and establish peace. We remain concerned about the lack of progress in resolving the issue of Western Sahara. We call on the parties involved to continue negotiations under the auspices of the United Nations so that the people of Western Sahara can exercise their right of self- determination. The prevailing situation in the Middle East in general, and the Palestinian territories in particular, is one of the most serious problems facing the international community. Angola supports the creation of an independent Palestinian State living side by side with the State of Israel in peace and security and within secure internationally recognized borders, in line with the position of the international community. The conflict in Syria poses a grave threat to international peace and security and will seriously exacerbate the humanitarian situation in the region. Angola urges the international community to support the efforts of Mr. Lakhdar Brahimi, Joint Special Representative of the United Nations and the League of Arab States for Syria, to seek a negotiated solution to the conflict. The embargo imposed on Cuba violates international law and for decades has been a major impediment to that country’s development and improvements in the lives of its citizens. Angola reiterates its principled position affirming the need to end the embargo in accordance with the relevant United Nations resolutions. Angola’s foreign policy will continue to be based on mutual respect, mutual benefit, good-neighbourliness and the strengthening of regional economic integration. Angola will continue to comply with all the international commitments and international instruments to which it is a party. Ten years after achieving peace, Angola has recorded significant progress in consolidating its democratic process. General elections were held on 31 August in a civil and peaceful atmosphere, thus demonstrating the maturity of its people. The results expressed the sovereign will of the Angolan people, as verified by international observers who closely followed the election. Currently, Angola is joyfully celebrating the investiture of its organs of State sovereignty, including the President of the Republic and the National Assembly, as well as the assumption of office by members of the Government. It is experiencing a dynamic reconstruction and development process marked by the consolidation of macroeconomic stability that has had positive effects on the stabilization of the national currency. In addition, the rehabilitation and modernization of major productive and social infrastructure, namely the reconstruction of roads, railways, electricity supply and distribution systems, water supply systems and sanitation and telecommunication networks, are contributing to the progressive improvement of the living conditions of Angolans. Political stability and the strengthening of institutional capacity have enabled the Angolan economy to grow at an average rate of 9.2 per cent over the past five years, while the non-oil sector has grown at an average rate of 12 per cent. Those growth rates were due to effective measures by the Government aimed at stabilizing the fiscal, monetary and currency macroeconomic indicators and thereby facilitating the revival of the economy. The fi ght against hunger and the struggle to reduce and eradicate poverty are two of the biggest challenges being addressed by the Angolan State owing to their impact on people’s lives. Indeed, their resolution is crucial if we are to build a more prosperous society and achieve social justice. Despite Angola’s successes in the last decade, it was not possible to achieve the Millennium Development Goals as we had wished. However, the country’s macroeconomic development indicators have permitted the Committee for Development Policy of the Economic and Social Council to consider Angola eligible to graduate from its least developed country status starting in 2015. On behalf of the Angolan Government, we would like to express our gratitude for the trust that investors have shown in us and for the assistance provided by international partners which, added to investment from national sources, has allowed us to achieve the level of economic growth the country has been experiencing. We are aware that there is still much to do to ensure that the high growth rates the country has seen in the recent past are reflected in an effective, systematic and gradual increase in the standard of living of the Angolan people, through a better distribution of national income and higher employment levels, especially among youth, and increased and better investment in the area of social welfare. In conclusion, I must reiterate Angola’s commitment to the purposes and principles embodied in the Charter of the United Nations and state that we will continue to engage in the search for solutions to the challenges facing the international community.