Portugal, 2008

Mr. President, I wish you all success for your tenure in

office.

Guaranteeing international peace and security as

well as the sustainable development of our peoples is

our shared responsibility. The way we carry it out will

determine our common destiny. The centrality of the

United Nations has never been so clear. The United

Nations will be what we, as sovereign and equal

Member States, want it to be.

We live in a time of historic acceleration, a time

of great opportunities but also of challenges on a

global scale. Global challenges imply a collective

responsibility. The United Nations is the forum that

best embodies that collective responsibility. That is

also why I strongly support the statement made by the

President of the French Republic, current President of

the Council of the European Union.

In a globalized and interdependent world, only

strong multilateral institutions can promote the

fundamental values of peace, democracy, human rights

and sustainable development. Portugal is committed to

supporting effective multilateralism based on a

cohesive and efficient United Nations.

Our words cannot be empty rhetoric. Therefore

we must be consistent and put into practice the values

and principles we defend. Our actions must be based

on very clear assumptions. First, we must make every

effort to ensure that the United Nations has the means

necessary to fulfil its mission, and we must contribute

to the achievement of the mandates with which we

entrust it.

Secondly, we must ensure broader representation

in the United Nations bodies and make their actions

more transparent. Is it reasonable to continue having a

Security Council without reforming its working

methods, when countries such as Brazil and India have

no permanent seat and when Africa is not permanently

represented? We surely do not think so and are open to

the possibility of broader solutions.

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Thirdly, we must guarantee the fulfilment of the

declarations on human rights approved by all of us.

The Organization must bear in mind that the ultimate

beneficiaries of its actions are not States as such, but

the citizens and peoples that compose them.

Portugal has been committed to this common

effort — first, by participating in peacekeeping

operations. I would like to commend the many

thousands of Portuguese who have participated in over

20 missions led by the United Nations and those who

currently are taking part in missions in Afghanistan,

the Central African Republic, Chad, Kosovo, Lebanon

and Timor-Leste.

This year we celebrate the sixtieth anniversary of

United Nations peacekeeping operations, and I would

like to pay tribute to all of the Blue Helmets. In

particular I pay tribute to the memory of all of those,

including Portuguese nationals, who have made the

ultimate sacrifice for the ideals of the United Nations

Charter.

Africa must remain a priority. That belief led us,

together with our African partners, to hold the Cairo

and Lisbon summits between the European Union (EU)

and Africa, which began to further the dialogue

between the two continents. The shared principles, the

commitments undertaken and the EU-Africa Joint

Strategy illustrate a renewed partnership based on

cooperation in areas such as peace and security,

development, good governance and human rights, trade

and regional integration. Peace, sustainable

development, access to education and health care and

the integration of African economies in the

international markets are essential objectives in

building a more just, peaceful and balanced

international order. Accordingly, we must support the

efforts of the African nations to achieve those

objectives.

In that context, I would like to congratulate the

Angolan people for the civic-minded manner in which

they conducted their recent electoral process. The

legislative elections had a profound bearing on the

consolidation of democracy in Angola, with important

regional political repercussions.

I also welcome the political agreement in

Zimbabwe, which we hope will mark a new period of

national reconciliation as well as political and

economic development.

I wish also to congratulate Guinea-Bissau on the

anniversary of its independence. Guinea-Bissau is one

of the States Members of the Community of

Portuguese-speaking Countries (CPLP), from which it

has received strong political support. The CPLP has

undertaken increasing responsibilities as an operational

partner of the regional organizations to which its

member States belong, such as the European Union and

the African Union, and of global organizations such as

the United Nations.

The recent Lisbon summit of the CPLP, at which

Portugal took over the presidency of the Community,

confirmed its members’ determination to promote

peace, democracy, human rights and development. It

also led to the definition of a common strategy of

international assertiveness based on our shared asset:

the Portuguese language — the fifth most spoken

language in the world, connecting nations and peoples

in five continents. This assertiveness should lead to the

increased use of Portuguese as an official or working

language of international organizations.

Recently, Portugal also assumed the presidency

of the Community of Democracies. Very soon, we will

be presiding over the Ibero-American Summit — a

genuine reference point for political cooperation based

on shared cultures and values. We are honoured by

those mandates, which we intend to exercise with

determination and confidence.

Portugal believes that the natural vocation of the

Alliance of Civilizations to bring together peoples,

cultures and religions will be instrumental in

establishing a world where dialogue prevails over

conflict and where tolerance, respect for cultural

diversity and individual identity, and mutual

understanding overcome built-up tensions. We

therefore resolutely support the Implementation Plan of

the High Representative of the Secretary-General.

Seven years have passed since New York suffered

one of the most infamous acts the world has witnessed

in our time. Although much has been done since then,

terrorism continues to be a threat. The implementation

of the Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy is

fundamental to success in combating that common

enemy. In that regard, it is crucial to respect human

rights and fundamental freedoms, the promotion of

which contributes to preventing terrorism.

Hunger and extreme poverty are other, more

insidious but equally destructive common enemies.

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Much has also been said in that connection, and some

measures have been taken. However, much more is

required. We reiterate our unwavering support for the

Millennium Development Goals. Portugal, which is

contributing to the limit of its capabilities, is directing

most of its development aid to Africa, where the levels

of poverty are most striking.

We are pleased to note the establishment of the

High-level Task Force on the Global Food Crisis.

Combating hunger and poverty requires a strengthened

global partnership in which the United Nations and the

Bretton Woods institutions have a central role to play.

Ensuring sustainable development requires that

we confront the challenges posed by climate change

together. Failure to act now will result in an

irreversible legacy for future generations, as shown by

the last progress report of the Intergovernmental Panel

on Climate Change. In that common effort, we must

support those who are most vulnerable to the effects of

climate change, such as small island developing States

and least developed countries.

Oceans, seas, islands and coastal areas, which are

vital for human life and economic prosperity, deserve

our utmost attention. It is therefore important that we

join efforts to ensure that negotiations are completed

by December next year on a global and transparent

agreement on a post-2012 climate regime.

Economic development is not an end in itself; it

is a means towards the progress of humankind and the

affirmation of human rights. Portugal has been the

driving force behind the draft optional protocol to the

International Covenant on Economic, Social and

Cultural Rights, which the Assembly will be called

upon to adopt. It is our opinion that the draft protocol

represents a landmark in the promotion of democracy

that will enable us to properly celebrate the sixtieth

anniversary of the adoption of the Universal

Declaration of Human Rights. Let us always bear in

mind that the dignity of human beings is not

negotiable.

I would now like to refer to the humanitarian

situation of refugees. Portugal acknowledges the

remarkable work carried out by the United Nations

High Commissioner for Refugees. We must continue

our collective efforts. In that regard, my country has

responded to the need by tripling its refugee quota.

We are the United Nations. Its destiny is in our

hands. The success of the Organization is closely

linked to its capacity for regeneration and increased

democratization, representation and effectiveness. I

therefore wish to commend the consensus in the

General Assembly as regards the Security Council

reform process, which should enable intergovernmental

negotiations to begin shortly. Portugal is honoured to

be directly associated with that outcome.

In 2000, Portugal submitted its candidacy for a

non-permanent seat in the Security Council for the

biennium 2011-2012. Our candidacy must be

considered in the light of the principles and values of

the United Nations that we have long defended and

which are enshrined in the Portuguese Constitution. We

stand for service to peace and stability, sustainable

development and human rights. We also believe in the

central role of the Organization in pursuing those

goals. We stand for equal representation for those

States that constitute the majority in this house because

we believe that that is the best way to guarantee a

sense of justice, which is essential if decisions are to be

accepted by all.