Mr. President,
Mr. Secretary-General,
Your excellencies, Heads of State and Government.
Ladies and gentlemen,
I would like to offer my congratulations to Mr. Philémon Yang of the Republic of Cameroon on his election as President of the 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly. I wish him much success in a very complex international environment.
I also congratulate his predecessor, Mr. Dennis Francis, for the results achieved during his term.
To Secretary-General António Guterres, I express our acknowledgement of his deep commitment to the service of our common ideals and goals in a very difficult international landscape.
The world faces grave challenges. The obligation to follow the principles and deliver on the promisses of the United Nations Charter is the burden that each one of us carries.
We witness devastating wars, the intensification of regional tensions, and other grave threats to international peace and security. Hundreds of millions of people continue to live in extreme poverty, without the basic means of subsistence, without hope for a better future, without human dignity.
Implementing reforms in global economic and financial governance to make it more just, inclusive, and equitable has become even more urgent. This is the only way to build adequate responses to the challenges that humanity faces.
We must fight more efficiently against poverty and social exclusion through concrete actions. Specifically, we must strive to finance development programs, reduce inequalities, protect the environment and mitigate the effects of climate change.
Mr. President,
Eight decades after the establishment of the UN in 1945, we live today in a totally different world. We continue to call for reform of the United Nations Security Council, which must consider the interests of Africa under the terms of the Ezulwini Consensus and the Sirte Declaration of Heads of State and Government of the African Union.
We must reform the international financial architecture in order to promote greater inclusion, particularly in Africa, and to consider the African continent’s role and contribution to the world economy.
In this context, we welcome the Summit of the Future. We hope that the
“Compact for the Future” can drive collective efforts to achieve the Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs) and “Agenda 2063: The Africa We Want” of the African Union.
As a member of the Global Working Group on Social Protection for Nutrition, Human Capital, and Local Economic Development of the Group of Seven Plus (G7+), we will work together with the other distinguished members on erradicating hunger and progressively achieving all Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Mr. President,
In the Republic of Guinea-Bissau, we are commited to fostering dialogue, national reconciliation, consolidation of democracy, and the Rule of Law, as well as our country’s sustainable development.
Despite the negative impact of the challenging world economic and financial situation, the economy of Guinea-Bissau continues to grow as a result of sound public policies. The practice of accountability has provided greater transparency in the State’s economic and financial management.
We have adopted measures that, though difficult, were shown to be necessary to drive the private sector and to create a more solid foundation for a dynamic and inclusive economy.
We are promoting greater participation of women and youth entrepreneurs. We are investing on the building and improvement of basic infrastructure, such as roads and other projects.
We declared war on corruption and organized crime. We were able to restore trust in our relations with international financial institutions and other bilateral and multilateral partners.
We continue to place faith in strengthening Guinea-Bissau’s bonds of friendship and cooperation with the world. We remain steadfast on the policy of peacebuilding and peaceful resolution of conflicts in West Africa and in the world in general. It was to this end that, in recent months, I made visits of friendship and work to Russia, Ukraine, Israel, and Palestine.
In this context, I reiterate my call for an end to the unjust and very harmful embargo that our brothers and sisters in Cuba have been subjected to for decades.
Mr. President,
Distinguished Heads of State and Government,
Ladies and gentlemen,
I recently had the honor of serving Africa as President of the African Leaders Malaria Alliance. We made significant progress in a very difficult world environment. We endeavored to garner support to replenish the Global Fund.
We worked with the private sector to promote the production of drugs and nets to combat malaria. We encouraged the transfer of technologies to African companies. We launched End Malaria Councils and Funds and supported youth movements against malaria.
Despite all the progress achieved, challenges persist. In the next three years, ALMA will run a 1.5 billion dollar deficit. Global warming and rains associated with climate change are expanding the geographic reach of mosquitos, thus exposing more than 170 million people to the threat of malaria in the African continent.
I take this opportunity to congratulate the Executive Secretariat of ALMA for their remarkable service. I also thank all of ALMA’s partners for their crucial support in the fight against malaria during my term in office.
Mr. President,
Ladies and gentlemen,
In closing, on behalf of the Republic of Guinea-Bissau, I would like to reaffirm our determination to continue to contribute to strengthening the friendship among countries and peoples, to promote international cooperation, multilateralism, the peaceful resolution of conflicts, the end to wars and suffering of innocent populations, toward peace in the world.
Thank you