São Tomé and Príncipe, 2010

Allow me to convey to the

President and to this noble Assembly the greetings of

His Excellency Mr. Fradique Bandeira Melo de

Menezes, the President of the Democratic Republic of

Sao Tome and Principe, who cannot attend this meeting

for scheduling reasons. Since this is his last term as

President on constitutional grounds, President de

Menezes would have much liked to participate in this

sixty-fifth session in order to personally express his

sincere and heartfelt thanks for the support and

cooperation of our Organization provided to him

during the period of his presidency.

On behalf of the delegation of the Democratic

Republic of Sao Tome and Principe, which I have the

honour to lead, I would like to congratulate the

President of the General Assembly on his election to

chair this sixty-fifth session of the General Assembly.

His election is proof that the Member countries of this

Organization recognize the contribution that he and his

country, Switzerland, have made to the cause of peace

and to upholding the noble ideals of freedom,

democracy and human rights in the world. We are

therefore convinced that he will guide our work with

dexterity, clarity and success. We also congratulate him

for the relevance of the theme “Reaffirming the central

role of the United Nations in global governance”,

which merits the attention of all present here on

account of its timeliness.

We salute the very distinguished Secretary-

General of the United Nations, Mr. Ban Ki-moon, for

the efforts, dedication and skill with which he has

guided our Organization, despite the enormous

political, economic and social challenges that the world

is facing, in particular with regard to the issues of

peace, international security, underdevelopment,

extreme poverty, climate change, food security and the

continuation of some regional conflicts. It is our deep

conviction that, in order to collectively face such

challenges, we must reaffirm and strengthen our

confidence in the role of the United Nations in

promoting peace and justice in the world.

The defence of multilateralism is of vital

importance in seeking solutions based on the principles

of the United Nations Charter. The role of the United

Nations in preventing and resolving conflicts,

promoting peace and supporting development should

be bolstered. In that regard, it is vital to strengthen the

role of the United Nations, including reforming the

system and the Security Council, in order to provide

responses that are more consistent with the challenges

facing humanity today.

We echo the concerns expressed in this Assembly

Hall by the President of Malawi and Chairperson of the

African Union in that regard. The consensus to date on

the question of Western Sahara leads us to urge the

parties involved to continue on the path of dialogue in

pursuit of a peaceful settlement of that conflict.

Our global security is vital to the sustainable

development of our countries. The international

community must be cautious and aware of the risks

that the Palestinian conflict could spread and endanger

the entire Middle East region and ultimately

international peace and security in the larger world.

Sao Tome and Principe welcomes the resumption

of the dialogue on the Palestine question and

encourages the Government of the State of Israel and

the Palestinian Authority to continue on that course in

the hope that the peoples of Israel and Palestine will

live side by side in peace in the future. My country

would also like to acknowledge and welcome the

personal commitment of President Barack Obama to

finding a permanent solution to that conflict.

The world faces other risks, such as transnational

crime, piracy and drug trafficking. For us, a small

country surrounded by a vast expanse of sea, that is a

significant reason for concern. Sao Tome and Principe

will therefore continue to pay particular attention to the

regional integration organizations to which we belong,

as well as to give priority to conflict-prevention, -

management and -resolution mechanisms in order to

ensure security and peace in Central Africa.

The profound changes taking place in

international politics, which are the result of structural

changes in the global economy and have important

geopolitical implications, have been affecting Sao

Tome and Principe in various ways. As a small island

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State, Sao Tome and Principe therefore calls for greater

access to various economic opportunities, in particular

official development assistance and international

investment. Moreover, we support the conclusion of a

new international trade agreement on a more equitable

and fairer basis, as well as the conclusion of the United

Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

We welcome the appointment of Ms. Michelle

Bachelet, former President of Chile, to oversee matters

relating to women and gender with a view to promoting

their participation in global challenges.

At the Millennium Summit in 2000, world leaders

committed themselves to creating an environment

conducive to development and the eradication of

poverty, both nationally and internationally. The

adoption of the Millennium Declaration was followed

by other international conferences, which, although

they reaffirmed the commitment of both the donor

community and the countries receiving aid to seek

innovative funding sources and alternatives, did not

have the desired effect of alleviating world poverty

levels. However, it is vital that we create a new spirit

of partnership and a better concept of cooperation for

development. To that end, there is a need for additional

efforts in the area of official development assistance.

The High-level Meeting that has just taken place

here in New York is proof of our concern about the

benchmarks to be achieved for the attainment of the

Millennium Development Goals. For our part, the

results in the area of education and health are fairly

encouraging, particularly when it comes to reducing

child mortality and combating HIV/AIDS, malaria and

other diseases.

With regard to education for all, our net enrolment

rate in the first cycle of primary education — for children

aged one to four — is estimated at 98 per cent.

Literacy rates in the 15 to 24 age group are high as

compared to most African countries, namely, 96 per

cent for females and 95 per cent for males.

The results in reducing child mortality have been

equally encouraging. In 2009, we recorded 38 deaths

per 1,000 live births. That is a significant reduction

compared with past years. For example, there were 61

per 1,000 live births in 2002. The mortality rate for

children under five fell from 138 to 101 deaths per

1,000 live births in 2002, further dropping to 63 in

2009. The number of children immunized against

measles has increased substantially, with 84 per cent

vaccinated in 2009 as compared to 70 per cent in 2000.

With regard to the prevalence of HIV/AIDS, it is

still contained but can spread rapidly. The prevalence

rate in the 15 to 24 year age range is 0.7 per cent, but

among the total population aged 15 to 49 it is 1.5 per

cent. The prevalence rate of malaria has been reduced

dramatically, from 478 cases per 1,000 inhabitants in

2002 to about 34 cases in 2009.

It is true that our country has made significant

progress in the areas I have mentioned, but we are

aware that much more remains to be done in order to

achieve the Millennium Development Goals.

Sao Tome and Principe believes that it is our

collective responsibility to take measures to address

the adverse effects of climate change, although we

welcome the political willingness of Member States to

continue the process of building the necessary

consensus on the various themes discussed at the

Copenhagen Summit. We recognize the efforts made at

the recent meeting held in Bonn, as well as the

prospects for the opening meeting to be held in

Mexico.

Sao Tome and Principe expresses its concern at

attempts to use nuclear energy for non-peaceful

purposes. We hope that those who utilize nuclear

energy do so in accordance with existing mechanisms

for international regulation and supervision.

Climate change has caused imbalances in the

microclimate of our country, with dramatic impact on

our domestic production. That poses a threat to the

food security of Sao Tome and Principe. The

authorities of my country would therefore like to

continue to count on the invaluable support and

willingness so far expressed by the international

community, in general, and in particular by specialized

bodies of the United Nations.

I would be remiss if I concluded my statement

without addressing the situation along the Taiwan

Strait. We recognize the efforts made by both sides

along the Strait aimed at reducing political tension and

creating a favourable climate that is conducive to

peace, security and development in the region. Despite

those positive developments — including the signing

of an economic treaty regulating trade relations

between the two sides, opening up airspace to

commercial traffic and promoting stronger links

45 10-55128

between the two peoples — there are still some aspects

that must be addressed in order to allow greater

involvement by Taiwan in the international community.

We call on Members of the United Nations, and

in particular its specialized agencies, to find ways to

make possible Taiwan’s greater participation in

specialized agencies and other bodies and machinery,

such as the International Civil Aviation Organization

and the United Nations Framework Convention on

Climate Change. We believe that Taiwan’s participation

in those two forums will strengthen both those

mechanisms and better serve our common interests.

In consolidating its democratic process, the

Democratic Republic of Sao Tome and Principe has

just conducted yet another elections process, from

which a new Government and Assembly have emerged.

The new Government, whose programme has just been

approved by the National Assembly, has identified four

key areas for attention, namely, good governance,

credibility and combating corruption; economic

growth; national cohesion and organization; and State

authority. To achieve those objectives, the Government

of Sao Tome and Principe would very much like to

count on the continued support of the international

community.

We believe that the international community, and

in particular the United Nations system, knows how to

respond to the new challenges of a changing world by

seeking out mechanisms, instruments and policies

aimed at promoting international cooperation,

innovative partnerships and international solidarity. In

that collective effort, I want to reaffirm that Sao Tome

and Principe is ready and willing to make its

contribution to the realization of the noble principles

and objectives that were at the heart of the creation of

the United Nations.