First, Sir, I
should like to extend my sincere congratulations to you
on the occasion of your election to the presidency of
the sixtieth session of the General Assembly and to
wish you the greatest success in conducting the work
of the Assembly. I am also pleased to take this
opportunity to offer my sincere thanks to your
predecessor, His Excellency Mr. Jean Ping, Minister
for Foreign Affairs of the Gabonese Republic, for the
considerable results produced during his term as
President, especially towards the end of the session,
when we reviewed matters related to the
implementation of the Millennium Goals and the
reform of the United Nations.
I should also like to take this opportunity to
express our appreciation to the Secretary-General,
Mr. Kofi Annan, for his valuable efforts to bolster and
propel the role of the United Nations in international
peacekeeping, security and development. The report by
Mr. Kofi Annan (A/59/2005) and the recommendations
set out in it provide us with important elements capable
of leading to consensus on strategies that will help us
to achieve the Millennium Goals and to make progress
on reforming the United Nations.
I cannot fail to take advantage of this opportunity,
on behalf of the people of Sao Tome and Principe, to
reiterate to the Government and the people of the
United States of America and to the bereaved families
our sincere condolences regarding the tragedy caused
by Hurricane Katrina. These difficult times, being
experienced by a large part of the American people,
cannot leave us indifferent, above all because we are
fully aware of the role that the American people and its
Government play in international solidarity and
cooperation, constantly seeking peace and prosperity
for peoples in difficulty, and of their support and
financing of this great Organization.
From the early days of the signing of the Charter
in 1945 in San Francisco, the United Nations has
played a crucial role in undertaking many matters of a
political, economic, social and humanitarian nature
throughout the world. Nevertheless, it seems to us that
the world now needs a stronger and more dynamic
United Nations. The present session takes place in a
very complex international environment. Indeed, the
climate of permanent tension experienced in some
parts of the world, the unbridled arms race, human
trafficking, cross-border organized crime, terrorism,
systematic violations of human rights, economic
depression and environmental degradation constitute
important matters that are in need of the attention of
the United Nations now and in the years to come. In
the face of such challenges, Member States must
manifest a sense of wisdom and responsibility in order
for an international order based on peace, security and
cooperation to prevail.
Small island States met this year in Mauritius to
evaluate the Barbados Programme of Action for the
Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing
States. In Mauritius, States reaffirmed their
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commitment to support the efforts of small island
developing States that would lead to sustainable
development through a greater and more effective
implementation of the Barbados Programme of Action.
Decisions and recommendations were adopted on
climate change, natural and environmental disasters,
water resources, waste management, tourism, energy,
transportation, biodiversity and marine and coastal
resources. All the problems that affect small island
States, from global warming to ecosystem problems,
can be resolved only if the international community
makes an effort to effectively increase the resources
that will support the sustained development of small
island States. In this regard, we would like to take the
opportunity to express our thanks both to the
international community and to the Government of
Mauritius for the efforts made to organize the special
conference.
International security is based on the protection
of the people and on education for capacity-building,
promoting a community’s development. Nations that
do not pay attention those factors could be in a state of
permanent tension, which is not conducive to progress.
For this reason HIV/AIDS, poverty, political crises,
ongoing violations of human rights, oppression and
occupation constitute threats to human security.
Many of our countries continue to face challenges
in combating HIV/AIDS and other illnesses. In some
regions of Africa HIV/AIDS is devastating families,
cultures and economies — entire societies. The cost of
treatment continues to be extremely high and our
economies are beginning to buckle under the effects of
the illness. If significant resources and additional
scientific investment for research to seek a cure for
HIV/AIDS are not forthcoming the development
expectations of Africa will be far from being met.
Very recently the Republic of Angola was
attacked by the worst outbreak ever of Marburg fever,
caused by a virus related to the Ebola virus. We are
concerned because Sao Tome and Principe, being an
integral part of the Central African States, cannot
remove itself from that situation. We appeal to the
World Health Organization (WHO) to strengthen the
capabilities of the countries of the subregion by
holding seminars and providing training. This initiative
will help us to deal prophylactically with similar
situations that might arise. Likewise, malaria continues
to be a serious public health problem for my country
despite its active involvement with existing
programmes supported by several countries and
organizations.
The situation of insecurity primarily affects the
most vulnerable populations, especially refugees,
children, women and the elderly. Terrorism is
destabilizing Governments, destroying lives and
claiming innocent victims. We are faced with a
challenge that requires reformulating our strategies to
combat it. It seems entirely appropriate to start with an
understanding of the origins of the problem by
identifying its causes, and then to forge new
consensuses and improve the methods of combating the
problem and implementing Security Council resolution
1373 (2001). However, the United Nations must take
additional action to benefit States which, like my own,
are not in a position to fully comply with all the
provisions of that resolution. We need resources that
will contribute to the improvement, inter alia, of our
security, including control of our borders and territorial
waters. Here, strengthening our capability to fight the
phenomenon of terrorism is a priority.
In my capacity as President of the Community of
Portuguese-Speaking Countries, I should like to refer
to Guinea-Bissau, which has just successfully
concluded a long and difficult political transition. First,
let me congratulate the people and the authorities of
that country on their success. I commend the
international community, and in particular the United
Nations and its Secretary-General, for its prompt
contribution, which bolstered the people’s action for
peace, stability and development. Now, Guinea-Bissau
faces the giant task of promoting development and
well-being for its population. The international
community must therefore continue to provide its
traditional help so that legitimate expectations may not
be frustrated.
The universality of the Organization requires that
all nations must be represented. However, this
continues not to be so despite several calls for it. As we
reflect on reforming the United Nations, we must once
again take advantage of the opportunity from this
rostrum to invite the international community to review
the problem of the need for the Republic of China on
Taiwan to be represented in the Organization. In this
regard, my country signed the letter contained in
document A/60/192 requesting the inclusion of an item
in the agenda of the present session entitled “Question
of the representation of the 23 million people of
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Taiwan in the United Nations”. Once again, we have
lost an opportunity to correct this injustice.
We are further concerned by the recent adoption
by the People’s Republic of China of the so-called anti-
secession law, which, by increasing tension in the
Strait of Taiwan, may compromise peace in the region.
Aware of the role of the United Nations, specifically
under the provisions of Articles 1 and 34 of the
Charter, Sao Tome and Principe also joined in
proposing the draft resolution annexed to document
A/60/193. That document contains a letter requesting
the inclusion of a supplementary item in the agenda of
the present session entitled, “A proactive role for the
United Nations in maintaining peace in the Taiwan
Strait”. Neither proposal received the expected support.
We are faced with an excellent opportunity to
infuse our Organization with greater dynamism and
rationality, more action and less bureaucracy. Reform
of the system is urgent. It is a high priority. To that
end, we must all work without hesitation for the good
of the world to which we belong.