Mozambique, 2014

It is a great honour for

me to address the General Assembly on behalf of His

Excellency Mr. Armando Emilio Guebuza, President of

the Republic of Mozambique, who could not attend this

gathering owing to national commitments. However, he

wishes the General Assembly successful deliberations

at this session.

I take this opportunity to congratulate Mr. Sam

Kutesa, a distinguished son of our sisterly country,

Uganda, on his unanimous election to preside over this

session of the General Assembly. We firmly believe

that his vision, wisdom and leadership will guide us

to a comprehensive and results-oriented transformative

development agenda. I assure him of the full support

and collaboration of the delegation of Mozambique in

the fulfilment of his noble mission.

I also wish to pay tribute to Ambassador John

William Ashe for his devotion and for the pragmatic

manner in which he presided over the sixty-eighth

session of this body, and for his relentless efforts

constructively to guide the ongoing debate on the

architecture of the next development agenda.

The year 2015 will be a historic one, since the

United Nations will reach the landmark celebration

of its seventieth anniversary. That celebration will be

enriched by the goal set in the year 2000 to halve poverty

rates in the world by the year 2015, the conclusion

of the next development agenda, and the adoption of

a new framework for climate change. In that regard,

we welcome the theme for this session, “Delivering

on and implementing a transformative post-2015

development agenda”, as it will enhance the ongoing

deliberations under the United Nations umbrella on the

next development agenda, galvanized by regional and

subregional visions on that important topic.

In our deliberations, the results and challenges

experienced in the implementation of the Millennium

Development Goals (MDGs) will undoubtedly be

referenced in shaping the next development agenda. We

recognize that much has been done in the framework

of the MDGs. However, apart from accelerating the

achievement of all goals, it is important to guarantee

the sustainability of those that were achieved and

accelerate the implementation of those that are still

lagging behind. It is our strong belief that the principle

of inclusiveness must also be taken into consideration

in order to build a common vision and to ensure

global commitments and shared responsibilities in the

implementation of the next development agenda.

To that end, Mozambique undertook a national

consultation process on the post-2015 development

agenda, a process that echoes our vision that

sustainable development can be achieved only with

a shared responsibility between Governments, civil

society and the private sector. Mozambique’s national

consultation process resulted in a robust call for the

next development agenda to list the eradication of

poverty as its overarching objective. To achieve that, it

should ensure the promotion of equitable, sustainable

and inclusive economic growth, focusing on women

and youth.

The consultation also emphasized the need for the

eradication of poverty and hunger, translated into the

improvement of living standards through access to

better social services such as education, health, social

welfare, safe drinking water, sanitation and energy;

the preservation of peace and political stability, the

promotion of democracy and the protection of human

rights; economic diversification and transformation to

speed up technological modernization in sectors such

as agriculture, industry, tourism and infrastructures;

the protection of marine and land biodiversity,

including the sustainable use of natural resources;

effective partnership for development, particularly for

access to science, technology and innovation; further

enhancement of North-South cooperation, in the

framework of global partnership in order to commit the

developed countries to meeting their internationally

agreed development goals obligations; the strengthening

of South-South cooperation; and, finally, agreement

on a common methodology to monitor and evaluate

national progress.

In addition, the experiences and challenges we faced

in the implementation of the MDGs — particularly in

the accomplishment of Goal 8, “A global partnership

for development” — underline the need for a greater

commitment on the part of our development partners

to increase their official development assistance, and

for funding climate resilience and disaster-prevention

efforts in developing countries. A transformative post-

2015 development agenda should include the need to

strengthen its financing mechanisms, concomitant

with the need to raise the contribution for domestic

financing. Those expectations coincide with the

emerging common vision at the subregional, regional

and global levels. Therefore, we have a premonition

that the agenda will be adequately inclusive and bring

the much-needed transformation to deliver a world that

is truly fit for all.

At this critical juncture, the successful conclusion of

the Doha Development Round is a matter of urgency. Its

contribution to the materialization of the development

agenda as a whole cannot be overemphasized. In that

regard, we are encouraged by the attempts of the World

Trade Organization to restore the Doha negotiations

and by the adoption of the Bali package, which are

fundamental steps in the architecture of the Doha

Round.

We are also encouraged by the positive trends in

the development of Africa. As the Secretary-General

states in his report on the work of the Organization

(A/69/1), Africa continues to make steady development

gains. Economic growth reached 4 per cent in 2013 and

is projected to reach 5.3 per cent in 2014. Foreign direct

investment increased, and substantial progress has

been made towards the attainment of the MDGs.

If those positive developments are to be sustained,

a transformative development agenda should reflect

Africa’s priorities and special needs, as expressed in its

Common Position on the post-2015 development agenda.

In addition, that encouraging environment can be

possible only in the context of peace, political stability,

democracy and respect for human rights. Therefore, we

regret that conflict prevention, peacekeeping and the

rebuilding of war-torn States remain among the most

complex challenges facing the United Nations and the

international community at large.

Indeed, this session takes place in the context

of grave instability and conflicts in the world, with

enormous economic costs and severe humanitarian

consequences that are unacceptable. Additionally,

the complexity of some conflicts poses a challenge to

the authority of the United Nations and consequently

undermines the founding principles of the Organization

as well as the role of multilateralism in addressing

global concerns.

We have been challenged by the dramatic evolution

in the strands of terrorism threats, which spare no part

of the world. Therefore, Mozambique welcomes the

adoption, at the 7272nd meeting of the Security Council,

held on 24 September, of resolution 2178 (2014), which

calls for an urgent boost in international cooperation to

prevent the support and flow of terrorist fighters to and

from conflict zones.

As we craft our collective strategy to deal with

all forms and manifestation of that human scourge,

we should not lose sight of the following elements.

First is the need to strengthen multilateral approaches

in full compliance with the Charter of the United

Nations. Secondly, the root causes of terrorism must

be addressed, as that scourge cannot and should not be

associated with any religion, nationality or civilization.

Thirdly, it is necessary to address the underlying

conditions, such as poverty, injustice, social exclusion

and marginalization, that serve as fertile ground for

extremist ideologies to breed and thrive.

In an interdependent and globalized world,

multilateralism refers to the collective and cooperative

actions needed to address global challenges in a

transparent, inclusive and effective manner, thereby

contributing to order, stability and predictability. In

that context, the United Nations must be strengthened

in order to continue effectively to play its role as the

epicentre of multilateralism. Today more than ever

before, we must take concrete actions to reinforce the

strategic role of the United Nations in the architecture

of the global world.

Notwithstanding the prevailing challenges to the

maintenance of international peace and security, we are

encouraged by the efforts in place for the restoration of

peace and stability in Mali, Somalia, the Democratic

Republic of the Congo, the Central African Republic,

the Sudan and South Sudan. We are also encouraged

by the latest developments in Guinea-Bissau as a

result of the general elections that prompted the

promising first steps towards much-needed political

stability — a precondition for that sisterly country to

progress towards socioeconomic development. These

achievements call our attention to the importance

of cooperation and coordination between the United

Nations and the African Union and with the subregional

bodies in effectively addressing the range of conflict-

management problems through preventive diplomacy

and mediation initiatives that allow for rapid responses

to regional and subregional crises.

The principle of the right to self-determination

continues to be central to the full enjoyment of human

rights. In that context, the United Nations ought to

continue to be engaged in the fulfilment of those

rights by the peoples of Palestine and Western Sahara.

Mozambique reiterates its full support for a just and

lasting solution to the problem of Palestine through

peaceful means, in accordance with international law

and all the relevant resolutions of the United Nations.

With regard to Western Sahara, we are encouraged

to note the initiative taken by the Chairperson of

the African Union in appointing His Excellency

Mr. Joaquim Alberto Chissano, former President of the

Republic of Mozambique, as a special envoy to the five

permanent members of the Security Council plus Spain,

in an effort to step up the search for a solution that will

ensure the fulfilment of the right of the Saharan people

to self-determination, for which Mozambique reaffirms

its unconditional support.

As I mentioned at the beginning of my statement,

the advent of 2015 represents a historic opportunity for

the United Nations to reshape global commitments in

many ways. As we celebrate the seventieth anniversary

of the Organization, we must use the momentum to take

concrete steps to accelerate, in a sustained manner, the

ongoing process of reforms in the Organization, in

particular the reform of the Security Council.

The inability of the United Nations to solve conflict

situations and political instability in the Middle East

and Eastern Europe poses a challenge to its authority

as the universal entity and multilateral political forum

for fostering dialogue in a multilateral framework. The

situation is worsened by the lack of substantive progress

in the reform of the Security Council, almost 15 years

after the international community recommitted itself to

that important endeavour. It is our hope that at its sixty-

ninth session the General Assembly will deliver the

much-awaited reform to democratize its representation

and working methods and to strengthen its role in

conflict prevention and the promotion of international

peace and security.

Freedom of choice with regard to political systems

and to trade is an inalienable right of all States,

irrespective of their size. In that connection, the need to

bring to an end the economic, commercial and financial

embargo imposed by the United States of America

against Cuba continues to be a matter of concern, for it

is politically motivated and hinders the socioeconomic

development of Cuba. For those reasons, Mozambique

joins all those countries that demand the immediate

termination of that unfair unilateral measure.

Mozambique is fully committed to the global

agenda for peace and security, democracy and

sustainable development. At the national level that

commitment is translated into our political will to

strengthen democracy in the country and to adopt a

poverty-reduction strategy that is people-centred and

promotes sustainable development. The regularity

with which elections at different levels are held shows

our unquestionable determination to consolidate the

democratic system and defend its underlying values. As

a result, on 15 October Mozambique will hold its fifth

multiparty general elections to elect the President and

the Parliament, and its second elections for provincial

parliaments.

In the economic sphere, Mozambique has enjoyed

steady economic growth for more than a decade.

Coupled with the support of our development partners,

including the United Nations, that has allowed for an

improvement in social services delivery and enabled

us to be on track to attain the majority the MDGs. In

addition, recently discovered natural resources represent

a challenge and an opportunity to further advance

national socioeconomic progress. The development

of new sources of clean and renewable energy such

as bio-fuels is a priority for the Government, and due

attention is being paid to prevent competition with

food-production initiatives.

Therefore, we are emphasizing the following

areas: the improvement of agriculture production and

productivity in a sector that will continue to play a

key role in our development efforts; human capital

development to address the new emerging economic

challenges; and the promotion of a strong private sector

to take advantage of the opportunities brought about by

the discovery and exploitation of natural resources. It

is our firm conviction that, with peace and stability, we

will continue successfully to address the development

challenges facing Mozambique, which have poverty

eradication and sustainable development at their

epicentre.

Finally, as part of our commitment to peace and

stability, in June Mozambique hosted the third Review

Conference of the States Parties to the Convention on

the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production

and Transfer of Anti-personnel Mines and on Their

Destruction, also known as the Ottawa Convention.

I should like to take this opportunity to thank all

participants as well as all partners that contributed

to making that event a success, because it was. We

are engaged in continuing our efforts to declare the

country free of landmines and thus to contribute to the

fulfilment of one of the most important steps in our

obligations under the Convention.

To conclude, I wish to reiterate Mozambique’s

commitment to continue to be engaged in international

efforts to address current global problems.