Timor-Leste, 2013

Allow me to begin

by conveying my vigorous condemnation of the

recent terrorist attacks in Kenya, Pakistan and Iraq,

which killed scores of innocent people. On behalf of

the Government of Timor-Leste, I extend our deepest

condolences to the bereaved families in connection

with the senseless loss of their loved ones. Terrorism is

contrary to every civilized value we hold dear and for

which we have fought. It must be condemned in all its

manifestations, regardless of its motives.

This is the first time that I am addressing this

Assembly of representatives of the international

community as a whole. I take this occasion to once

again thank the United Nations for its contribution to

the realization of the right of the people of Timor-Leste

to decide on our own future. Timor-Leste’s experience

shows the great value of the United Nations and the

importance of negotiated solutions, dialogue and

diplomacy to international disputes.

This is the first year without a United Nations

mission in the country since the restoration of Timor-

Leste’s independence 11 years ago. Our partnership

with the United Nations throughout the last decade

achieved remarkable successes. The Timorese people’s

yearning for stability and peace was decisive for the

new circumstances, which allowed the Security Council

to remove Timor-Leste from its agenda.

The results obtained are shared jointly by the

international community, through their solidarity and

pioneering efforts in the nation-building processes

made in Timor-Leste, and by the Timorese people,

through their maturity and firm determination to live

in peace, which has been repeatedly expressed in free

elections with a high voter turnout.

I thank Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for

the attention given to my country, which was again

underlined by his visit to Timor-Leste one year ago,

which greatly honoured us.

The Timorese people now hold in their own hands

full responsibility for building their future. The country

is facing the challenges with high hopes and optimism.

One such challenge is to focus national development

efforts on diversifying the economy, reducing our

dependency on oil and promoting inclusive development

for all Timorese people. Another is to consolidate our

national institutions, strengthening their technical

capacities and ensuring the participation of the younger

generation in managing the country.

The older generations have incumbency and have

the duty to pass on to young people the wealth of values

developed during the liberation struggle, such as

respect for human dignity and dedication and service to

the country. Those values are as necessary to building

an equitable society and a unified country today as they

were in the past to solidifying the unity of purpose of

the nation. The development of the country must not

exclude any Timorese.

The relations between Timor-Leste and the United

Nations will continue to strengthen and will increasingly

focus on assistance in the area of human, social and

economic development efforts and the strengthening of

institutions.

The international integration of the country

continues to evolve at a good pace, guided by the goal of

contributing to a peaceful and stable international system

capable of promoting social and human opportunities

for all peoples. We are participating actively in the

development of new forms of dialogue among fragile

States by establishing the Group of Seven Plus (g7+).

That group, over which Timor-Leste currently has the

honour of presiding, comprises 18 countries committed

to promoting a new model of engagement between

fragile States and other international stakeholders. The

New Deal for Engagement in Fragile States, promoted

by the g7+, has been well received by the United Nations,

development partners and international organizations.

The initiatives of the g7+ and the dynamic relationship

of the group with development partners contributes

to the establishment of more innovative and effective

international relations and cooperation.

The latest report on the Millennium Development

Goals (MDGs) states that most countries will not

achieve all the MDGs, and that is particularly true

in the case of fragile and conflict-affected States.

The international community as a whole must draw

lessons from that as we plan for the future. Many of

the world’s poorest have been left behind, including

around 1.5 billion people across the globe who live in

areas affected by fragility and conflict. That is why the

g7+ countries came together with the following vital

message: without peace there can be no development

and without development there can be no peace. And

to add a further dimension to that, there can be neither

peace nor development without inclusive and responsive

State institutions that are capable of being responsive

and attending to people’s needs.

At the regional level, we have established friendly

relations with neighbouring countries in South-East

Asia and the Pacific, in particular with Australia

and Indonesia, our closest neighbours, with whom

we maintain intense cooperation. The process of

reconciliation between Timor-Leste and Indonesia

and the excellent relations that our two countries have

developed represent a model whose lessons are useful

and relevant beyond our borders and outside our region.

Timor-Leste has submitted its application for

membership in the Association of Southeast Asian

Nations. We have developed friendly relations with

all member States of that organization, which makes

relevant contributions to stability in our region. Our

country is a member of the Non-Aligned Movement

and a special observer at the Pacific Islands Forum. We

play an active role in and are committed to multilateral

processes, which are important for regional stability

and security.

The unanimous election of Timor-Leste to chair

the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the

Pacific by the countries members of that United Nations

body reflects my country’s harmonious international

integration. As a member of the Community of

Portuguese-speaking Countries, we will have the

honour of chairing that organization in the period 2014-

2016. Timor-Leste believes in making its voice directly

heard in every multilateral forum of relevance to our

national interest and will submit an application for

membership in the Commonwealth of Nations.

Turning our attention to international matters

whose urgency especially appeals to our conscience,

my country has witnessed with horror the growing

violence in Syria. We welcome the agreement that was

reached to put Syria’s arsenal of chemical weapons

under United Nations control prior to its destruction.

Timor-Leste rejects the use of chemical weapons in

all circumstances. We are in favour of dialogue in the

search for negotiated solutions, with the involvement

of the United Nations. Only negotiation can help save

lives and alleviate the high toll that the Syrian people

are paying in human lives and social upheaval, which

has resulted in millions of internally displaced persons

and refugees.

In Timor-Leste, we know only too well the losses

and traumas of war. We are committed to preventing

violence in all its forms. Earlier this month, our Prime

Minister, Mr. Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão, joined the

Champions initiative to end sexual violence in conflict,

supporting the corresponding action launched by the

United Nations.

In a world undergoing a rapid transition towards

globalization, the Security Council must upgrade

its ability to effectively respond and must adjust its

composition to better reflect the realities of the twenty-

first century. New Powers, including India, Indonesia

and Brazil, among others, must be granted permanent

member status in the Security Council. At the same

time, my country is aware of the need for a better

representation of medium-sized and small countries

with relevant contributions to stability and peace. In that

spirit, Timor-Leste supports New Zealand’s candidacy

for a non-permanent seat at the Security Council for

the 2015-2016 term. New Zealand has actively worked

with us for peace and security in Timor-Leste, and

we believe it will both enhance the representation of

small States and be a constructive bridge-builder at the

Council.

On 30 August, Timor-Leste celebrated the

fourteenth anniversary of the referendum supervised

by the United Nations that allowed the Timorese

people to realize their right to self-determination and

independence. In contrast, there are peoples who, after

decades, continue to patiently wait for the realization

of that right. Such is the case of the Sahrawi people. A

stable and lasting solution for Western Sahara cannot

exist without the democratic expression of the will of

its people.

We commend the decision of the leaders of

the State of Israel and the Palestinian Authority to

resume direct talks under the auspices of the United

States Government. Timor-Leste supports the right

of the peoples of Palestine and Israel to live side by

side in peace, with dignity and in safety. We hope that

the peace talks already initiated may at last lead to a

solution with two sovereign States coexisting in an

environment of mutual respect and rejecting extremism

and violence. We condemn the building of settlements

in the occupied territories and all unilateral initiatives

contrary to resolutions of the United Nations.

We believe in dialogue, openness and inclusion as

a means of strengthening confidence in international

relations. Therefore, we call for an end to the embargo

against the Republic of Cuba, an embargo that does not

take into account the reality of today, of the country or

of the Cuban people. We also call on President Barack

Obama to act in accordance with his powers and release

the four Cuban citizens, from an initial group of five,

who have been incarcerated for over a decade in North

American prisons.

Allow me now to address the situation in Guinea-

Bissau, a sister nation to Timor-Leste in the Community

of Portuguese-speaking Countries currently

experiencing an easing of political and social tensions,

which we hope will lead to the re-establishment of

institutional normalcy and democracy. We welcome the

efforts of the United Nations Integrated Peacebuilding

Office in Guinea-Bissau, which were led by my

predecessor as Head of State of Timor-Leste, Mr. José

Manuel Ramos-Horta. His initiatives have helped to

enhance the prestige of the United Nations among the

people of Guinea-Bissau and to create an environment

of greater trust and dialogue in the country. The

problems of Guinea-Bissau can be solved. Timor-

Leste will continue to support the patient efforts of the

Guinean people and the international community aimed

at intensifying dialogue and reconciliation among the

people of Guinea-Bissau and promoting a democratic

solution within an appropriate time frame.

Among the critical global challenges facing

humankind today, I want to highlight the severity of

malnutrition, which affects hundreds of millions of

people worldwide. The dual challenges of improving

food security and reducing malnutrition on a

global scale require a renewed boost from all of us,

including development partner countries. Without

new coordinated initiatives and greater investment to

promote improving food security and the fight against

malnutrition, it will not be possible to make rapid

and sure progress towards attaining the Millennium

Development Goals. The new objectives are defined in

the post-2015 development agenda, due to be launched

by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

Timor-Leste is following, with great interest,

the post-2015 development agenda process and was

honoured by the invitation to Dr. Emilia Pires, our

Minister of Finance, to participate in the High-level

Panel that drafted a proposal for the agenda, following a

request by the Secretary-General of the United Nations.

The past experience of the Timorese people and the

country’s liberation struggle, in which we were engaged

for 24 years, have demonstrated that only tolerance,

dialogue and mutual respect, which the Timorese

resistance consistently showed and I have consistently

supported — in short, veneration for the dignity of

people — will allow us to reach durable solutions to

disputes between countries.

In a world where challenges are rapidly becoming

globalized, requiring concerted and effective responses,

the actions of the United Nations are more than ever

essential for the stability of international relations.

Timor-Leste will continue to show its commitment

to the United Nations, so that the Organization may

better respond to the desires of Member States and the

challenges they face, and to unhesitatingly assert the

values of peace and mutual respect. I wish the Assembly

the best of luck in its work.