São Tomé and Príncipe, 2013

On behalf of the Democratic Republic of Sao Tome

and Principe, the country that I have the honour of

representing in the highest forum of international

diplomacy, where all States have an equal voice

regardless of size or geographic location and which was

created as a result of a pressing need for communication

and dialogue among the peoples of the world, I would

first like to congratulate you, Sir, on your election

as President of the General Assembly at its sixty-

eighth session. Your experience as a diplomat gives us

confidence that you will masterfully conduct the work

of the General Assembly. In the Assembly we anticipate

pertinent debates concerning issues of the greatest

concern to the international community on which we

hope to achieve consensus and identify the best paths

to lasting solutions.

We also wish to express our appreciation and

esteem to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for his

dedication and his efforts in conducting the work of the

Organization, and we thank His Excellency Mr. Vuk

Jeremi. for his positive contribution as President of the

General Assembly at its sixty-seventh session.

Today, unfortunately, we are forced to begin our

statement by expressing the strongest condemnation of

the bloody terrorist attack in Kenya. The Democratic

Republic of Sao Tome and Principe offers its most

profound sentiments of sorrow and our solidarity

with the people of Kenya, their Government and the

bereaved families.

The current international environment does not

seem to have changed significantly since the previous

session. Indeed, new bloody conflicts and violence

seem to break out almost on a daily basis everywhere,

revealing the deep disagreements and antagonisms

that exist both within each State and among various

States in the community of nations. The profound

imbalance in international relations, the injustice of the

trading system, the enormous divide in access to goods

and in cultural values and the glaring disparities in

information access and knowledge among the peoples

of our planet do not contribute to improved living

conditions for millions of human beings. Rather, they

lead to increased conflict and threats to international

peace and security.

As it has done each year, the Democratic Republic

of Sao Tome and Principe reaffirms, in accordance

with its principles, its desire to see the United Nations

assume a more active role in righting the imbalances

and in efforts to mediate and resolve international

conflicts.

The fight against poverty, the struggle against

injustice and promoting greater dissemination of

knowledge must, in our view, remain ongoing concerns

of the Organization, so as to ensure that all peoples

achieve satisfactory development and dignity, in

accordance with the Millennium Development Goals,

thereby reducing the level of conflict and hostility that

is prevalent in the world today.

Along those lines, my country has implemented

extensive political and institutional reforms in various

areas, in order to engage all of its citizens in building

a more democratic and transparent Government and a

more participatory society in the pursuit of solutions

to help fight poverty. We have not forgotten the need

to provide the entire population with easier access to

education, basic health care and safe drinking water,

as well as modern communications, as a means to

increase knowledge and improve living conditions.

That requires an enormous effort from a country with

scant economic and financial resources; it therefore

requires international aid to achieve sustainability and

the established development goals.

My country congratulates and commends you,

Sir, for the relevance and timeliness of the theme

proposed for the current session of the General

Assembly — “The post-2015 development agenda:

setting the stage” — which remains relevant despite

the ongoing financial and economic crisis the world

is facing. My country remains firmly convinced

that addressing that important theme in its various

dimensions during the current session and through

2015 will encourage each and every State Member of

the United Nations to contribute more effectively and

dynamically towards the future we want.

In addition to identifying the progress made in

implementing the eight Millennium Development

Goals, the debate and reflection on the post-2015

development agenda allows us to explore ways and

means of building a more promising future for our

nations and our peoples.

The sixty-eighth session of the General Assembly

is taking place at a time when the Democratic Republic

of Sao Tome and Principe has completed two important

phases of public consultation aimed at guiding the

country in re-charting its course to achieveing the

Millennium Development Goals and enabling our

positive contribution to the new post-2015 development

agenda.

Good governance, economic development,

developing human capital, food and nutritional security,

as well as peace, tranquillity and security, are among the

areas in which Sao Tome and Principe must improve its

performance in the near future and represent the basic

requirements to drive the country’s development.

The citizens of Sao Tome and Principe are of the

view that a new development agenda must offer a

framework to consolidate the significant progress made

in implementing the eight Millennium Development

Goals — especially in the areas of education and

health — as well as an opportunity to advance

international political participation and exchange

aimed at development in the context of a continuously

evolving political and economic environment and

increasing global challenges. We therefore thank

the various development partners of the Democratic

Republic of Sao Tome and Principe for their valuable

contributions towards the achievement of our goals.

Since its establishment, in 1945, in accordance

with the principles and objectives enshrined in its

Charter, the United Nations has been called on to play

an important role in building and maintaining peace

and security in the world as an essential condition for

promoting development on a global scale. However,

all agree that the Organization must adapt to the new

challenges of the times. Its operational and functional

structures must become more dynamic, with greater

flexibility, so as to meet the increasing demands of the

new era.

The ongoing reform of the entire United Nations

system must be completed, and the Democratic Republic

of Sao Tome and Principe urges acceleration of that

process. We believe that a broad and consensual reform

of the United Nations will provide the Organization with

the greater flexibility, representation, effectiveness,

capacity and legitimacy that it requires to continue

to ensure peace, security and development for its

Members.

Unfortunately, the bloody conflicts that appear

to proliferate almost everywhere and emerge where

they are least expected are not decreasing in number.

Whether caused by social antagonisms resulting from

the poor distribution of wealth or from ethnic or

religious intolerance, the fact is that they persist.

There has been no significant progress in resolving

the continuing conflict in the Democratic Republic

of the Congo, despite the laudable efforts of the

international community — namely, the United Nations

and the African Union — towards finding a solution that

leads to peace and stability in the region. Therefore, we

cannot fail to appeal to the neighbouring countries of

the Democratic Republic of the Congo for constructive

forms of cooperation and trust in their relationships.

We welcome the progress made in Guinea-

Bissau following the many initiatives undertaken

by the international community, namely, the United

Nations, the African Union, the Economic Community

of West African States and the Community of

Portuguese-speaking Countries (CPLP). We

congratulate the United Nations and African Union

representatives to Guinea-Bissau for their efforts

as mediators in the country, in cooperation with

other stakeholders. Those efforts created conditions

conducive to promoting further progress in stabilizing

and preparing the country for the general elections

and in restoring it to constitutional and democratic

normality — the profound aspiration of its people.

My country is counting seriously on the stabilization

process and encourages all parties involved to do their

best to achieve the established goals. In coordination

with the other States members of the CPLP, we will

continue to exert every effort to contribute to the

success of that process, so that peace and happiness

may return to the people of our sister nation.

Mali, another country tormented by a fratricidal

war, seems to have finally reached an encouraging

point, as it recently held presidential elections with

results that have been peacefully and universally

accepted. We congratulate the new President and hope

that he may find the best path towards maintaining

peace and inclusive dialogue among all Malians.

The Central African Republic is today experiencing

one of the worst moments in its history. Indeed, we

have observed barbaric acts there, such as summary

executions and widespread pillage. Public services

are crumbling. The humanitarian situation has already

been determined to be catastrophic by United Nations

specialized agencies, thus requiring vigorous and

urgent action. Therefore, the Democratic Republic of

Sao Tome and Principe, out of concern for the suffering

of the tormented people of our sister nation, appeals to

the entire international community for a more vigorous

intervention to mitigate their suffering, preserve

national sovereignty and help national political actors

to promote national unity and political stability.

The longstanding issue of the Western Sahara calls

for our attention and requires greater involvement from

all in the search for a definitive solution to the protracted

negotiation process. We therefore welcome with

satisfaction the willingness expressed by the Moroccan

Government to support the efforts of the international

community to achieve a negotiated political and

mutually acceptable solution, and encourage both

parties to return to the negotiation process.

Currently, our attention is focused on the issue

of piracy in the Gulf of Guinea, which greatly affects

the safety of navigation and may destabilize countries

in the region. That would prevent them from taking

advantage of their natural resources, causing great

harm to their population. The territorial waters of Sao

Tome and Principe are 150 times the size of our land

mass. Therefore, we are extremely concerned about

the risks of acts of piracy spreading in the Gulf of

Guinea. Recently, the Heads of State and Government

of countries that form the Commission of the Gulf

of Guinea, which we seek to expand, held a summit

to adopt measures aimed at combating that scourge.

But our firm action in that regard will be successful

only if we can also count on the efforts of the entire

international community.

The Gulf of Guinea is a point of reference in

navigation routes that connect the northern and

southern hemispheres, as well as other important

economic regions of the world. Its protection deserves

everyone’s attention. Combating piracy requires the

establishment of an environment that is conducive to

global security. Since piracy is normally associated

with transnational crimes such as the trafficking of

arms, drugs and persons, which Sao Tome and Principe

condemns emphatically, my country has joined other

States in the region to combat such activities and has

taken steps at the national level that make it more

difficult for our territory to be used for the purpose of

money laundering or the financing of other illicit or

criminal acts.

With regard to the bloody conflict that is

ravaging Syria and causing a humanitarian tragedy

of great proportions, the Democratic Republic of Sao

Tome and Principe vehemently condemns the use of

chemical weapons in violation of all international

agreements. We also take this opportunity to welcome

recent developments towards dismantling the Syrian

arsenal of chemical weapons and urge both parties

to the conflict and the international community to

pursue a compromise that will lead to the cessation of

hostilities, thereby paving the way for open dialogue

and negotiations within a multilateral framework aimed

at a political solution to establish lasting peace.

As for the Israeli-Palestinian issue, we urgently

appeal to both Israel and Palestine to move towards

resolving their differences through dialogue, based on

respect for the integrity of the State of Israel and the

right of a Palestinian State to exist.

The Republic of Cuba, whose internal reforms we

welcome, has the right to choose its path freely, without

any restrictions imposed by an embargo that penalizes

its economic and social development, with grave

consequences for the country’s population.

We also acknowledge the climate of constructive

dialogue between Taiwan and the People’s Republic

of China, which serves to send a positive signal that

tensions are decreasing in the region, which we welcome

and encourage. Both parties along the Formosa Strait

must work peacefully towards reaching an agreement

on the normalization of their relations. For our part, we

continue to support the integration of Taiwan within

international organizations.

In conclusion, I wish to reaffirm my country’s

commitment to contributing, with the United

Nations, towards a peaceful and negotiated solution

to international conflicts, and hope that the post-2015

development agenda will translate into programmes

that can help improve the living conditions of all people

on our planet.