Cape Verde, 2004

I should like at the outset,

Mr. President, to hail your election to the presidency of

the General Assembly at its fifty-ninth session. I would

also like to extend to you our best wishes for success in

carrying out your mandate, a mandate which reflects

the honour bestowed on your country, the Republic of

Gabon, by the international community.

I would also like to take this opportunity to pay

tribute to the Secretary-General of the United Nations,

Kofi Annan, for his selfless commitment to the causes

of the United Nations and of Africa in particular.

I believe this is also an appropriate time to pay

tribute to and commend the actions of the former

President of the General Assembly, Mr. Julian Hunte,

for his considerable contribution to promoting the

universality of the United Nations.

My country, the Republic of Cape Verde, is

among the small island States. We believe that our

States, as a result of their specific characteristics,

deserve a special hearing from the international

community. In the economic, social and ecological

spheres, those States are confronting shortcomings and

restrictions specific to them, and these must be duly

taken into account.

Through its own efforts, but also through the

necessary contribution of the international community,

Cape Verde is now preparing to better itself and its

condition as a least developed country (LDC). My

country continues to suffer from a precarious situation

which cannot be ignored or minimized. In addition, the

small island States often represent unique physical and

human realities which form a genuine heritage of

mankind. For these and other reasons, I would like here

to launch an appeal in favour of the small island States.

The international community is going through a

particularly complex period marked by challenges of

many kinds. We are aware that it is only by focusing on

peace, stability, security, dialogue and respect for

diversity of interests and cultures, in an atmosphere of

freedom, that we can create an international

environment conducive to the just settlement of the

serious problems we are encountering today.

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War does not have to be inevitable. Moreover,

given the very advanced stage of civilization which

mankind has achieved, I think it would be relevant to

ask whether it is time to leave behind the concept

formulated by the outstanding nineteenth-century

German military theoretician Clausewitz, who stated

that war is a continuation of policy through other

means. I think, rather, that it is by relying on

negotiations, dialogue and the acknowledgement of the

legitimacy of the interests and rights of all parties, that

we can tap the potential for avoiding the need for war

as a means of resolving national or international

disputes.

Finally, it is with respect for international law,

drawn up with the participation of all and equally

shared and respected by all — a respect which

permeates the principles and purposes of the United

Nations — that we can find a response leading to a

peaceful, prosperous and just world: the world which

mankind clearly wishes to see.

I would like to reiterate here and now our

absolute rejection of the unwarranted use of violence

and our unequivocal condemnation of the use of

terrorism as a way of resolving political disputes. The

trivialization of life and death, which is utterly

condemnable, also dehumanizes its proponents and

opens the way to the worst kinds of wrongs in relations

between human communities. This is why the struggle

for peace cannot be halted, and why everyone,

especially the United Nations, has the imperative duty

to contribute to breaking the cycle of violence and

opening the way to peaceful coexistence among nations

and human communities.

Among the other social ills afflicting our planet

which can be effectively combated are hunger and

poverty. Their eradication is in fact one of the

objectives of the Millennium agenda. I am convinced

that success in combating hunger and poverty will have

unquestionably positive global effects that would

promote unity and harmony within the human family,

and would strengthen human rights, including the most

sacred and vital right — the right to life. It would also

promote the material and moral enrichment of all of

human society. It would contribute to the creation of

conditions that are a prerequisite for improving

international security by lessening migration and

bridging the gap between rich and poor, thus

eliminating the reasons for the frustration of millions

of poor and hungry individuals throughout today’s

world.

Another tragedy that requires action is HIV/

AIDS, which is mortgaging the future of many

countries, particularly in Africa. There is an urgent

need to advance and guarantee effective international

solidarity in order to root out from the daily lives of

millions of human beings the spectre of hunger,

poverty and pandemic illnesses. It is my belief that

mankind has the resources and potential which will

allow us to realize this marvellous dream.

The African continent, of which my country and

your country, Mr. President, are a part, continue to be

faced with enormous and varied challenges. Regarding

the critical issue of peace and political stability, we

also note a genuine commitment on the part of African

States to resolve conflicts and eliminate hotbeds of

tension. But the political will of States, regional

organizations and the African Union is not enough, and

the international community’s commitment and its

indispensable contribution in the form of adequate

resources are necessary for peace and security to

become a reality for all our peoples within a reasonable

period of time.

Peace is not merely the absence of war. Genuine

peace requires sufficient time and confidence-building

among parties, as well as a strategy for building peace.

So too, peace and stability within States require

institutions and policies that are inclusive and that

respect and engage all sectors of nations and meet their

legitimate political and economic aspirations, while at

the same time ensuring the protection of their cultural

identity.

There can be no doubt that, owing to profound

changes in the scientific, technological and socio-

political fields, a huge movement of democratization of

human societies is under way, backed by the

institutions of the rule of law. However, mere political

democracy is not sufficient. The ordinary citizen must

be guaranteed participation in public affairs and a

decent, worthy and dignified life, since there can be no

freedom without dignity.

It must also be recognized that there are still

tenuous vestiges of the old orders, which must once

and for all be rooted out and eliminated from

relationships between individuals and communities,

such as racism, religious and cultural discrimination,

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gender inequality, and scorn for the fundamental rights

of indigenous human communities in various countries.

We must also ask whether democracy within

States is reflected in relations among States,

particularly when we note the existence of an

imbalanced world in which the inequality of power

between the haves and the have nots continues to grow

day by day. Therefore, there is a critical need to

promote the democratization of international relations

by seeking better balance in relations among States.

International democracy based on dialogue and

cooperation among States and among cultures, on

tolerance and respect for cultural diversity among

communities and on human solidarity and respect for

the legitimate political and material interests of all

parties, of nations large and small would show itself in

the implementation of genuine multilateralism in

global governance. Herein undoubtedly lie the

foundations for triumph over today’s challenges and

the assurance of a safe, peaceful, predictable and

prosperous future for humanity.

In several months, the United Nations will mark

60 years of rich and intense life that has been filled

with challenges, upheavals and extremely complex

problems, but that has also been marked by

innumerable victories and hopes for humanity. My

country joined the community of nations in large part

because of the intervention of the United Nations to

promote the freedom and human rights of colonial

peoples, for which we shall always be grateful. I

believe that, in the light of the profound changes that

have occurred over the past six decades in all areas of

the international arena and the emergence of a new

balance of forces and extremely complex challenges

requiring urgent and immediate responses, it is

becoming clear that we need to move forward with

reform of the United Nations, particularly the Security

Council. In my view, the planned reform should, in

addition to reflecting new global geopolitical realities,

guarantee representativity and appropriate intervention

and participation for all continents and all

communities. From that perspective, we would then

have a more balanced international community and a

more equitable sharing of responsibility in the building

of humanity’s future.

Before concluding, I should like to highlight the

successful actions carried out in the past few years by

the United Nations under the leadership of the

Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi Annan, who has enabled

us to keep on the international agenda substantive

issues that confront many societies daily, which has

enabled this universal institution to be in direct contact

with concerns and challenges that are worrisome to all

members of the human family.

Here, I should also like to honour the memory of

all those who have served the United Nations and

fallen victim to senseless acts resulting from

intolerance and the terrorism of radical movements. I

emphasize the need for all countries and all formal and

informal institutions to guarantee and respect the

security of such noble men and women, for they are on

a mission to serve all of us.

I hope, Sir, that this fifty-ninth session of the

General Assembly, which is taking place under your

presidency, will provide new gains for peace, justice,

social progress and global stability.

Finally, I should like to reiterate the words of

Pope John Paul II, the unquestionable moral authority

of our time, in his appeal to world leaders on 1 January

this year:

“The United Nations ... needs to rise more and

more above the cold status of an administrative

institution and to become a moral centre where

all the nations of the world feel at home ...”