Timor-Leste, 2014

In September

2000, before becoming an independent country and

while under the administration of the United Nations

Transitional Administration in East Timor, we came

to the General Assembly as observers in order to

familiarize ourselves with the grand designs for the new

century, in the form of the Millennium Development

Goals (MDGs). Twelve years after Timor-Leste was

admitted into this prestigious Organization, here we

are again to take part in a review of what has been done

and of what has not been done, looking at reasons and

impacts.

Ultimately we want to revise the Assembly’s

manner of operation and redefine plans and strategies.

However, other speeches made both here and at the

Security Council open debate yesterday (S/PV.7272)

show the other face — the more troubling one — of world

problems, which is the general unquietness of spirit and

the pressure to use force in order to punish. I therefore

add my voice to all those who spoke before me in

stating my deep concern about the particularly difficult

time in which the community of nations is living. The

United Nations has been the unassailable forum for

approaching international issues and continues to be

the hope of millions of people throughout the world.

In the year 2000, the challenges came from the

condition of extreme poverty, educational deficits,

enormous scarcity in terms of doctors and medication

and lack of food production that affected the populations

of many underdeveloped countries. Fourteen years

later, little has been achieved despite the effort of the

community of nations. Fragile or conflict-affected

countries are the furthest from achieving the MDGs.

Worse still, the challenges of the year 2000 have taken

on a new path, with an increase in problems related to

the rise of tensions and conflicts in many parts of the

world.

The Organization’s true greatness and its global

leadership ability are measured in difficult times such

as these, where the search for peaceful solutions through

more intense dialogue may well determine the future

of humankind. In order to respond to the challenges,

we need an Organization that operates effectively.

We need an Organization that is more active and

less stereotyped — an Organization that strengthens

cooperation with other organizations, particularly

regional ones, and that acts with great respect for the

sovereignty and the particularities of each State.

Every action carried out so far has just been a

continuation of past measures that, in most cases,

failed to achieve results that can be considered positive.

We are witnessing an increasing loss of trust and we

are faced with a crisis of values. More than trying to

grasp the nature of the issues that are causing us to

react, we must seek to understand the true causes of

the problems. When faced with a threat that does not

respect borders and that jeopardizes our commitment

towards tolerance and peace, it is vital that we better

understand the interconnectedness of problems, so as

to locate the civility gap that prevents us from talking

to each other and from finding consensus.

We have always advocated the view that the use

of military force does not establish universal values

or build democracies. Misguided approaches that

fail to recognize the various and diverse elements of

threats or, worse still, that are based on contradictions

and conflicts of interest, only serve to fuel the fire of

radicalism and extremist actions. Accordingly, we must

reflect and think things over, because as they stand, we

are merely sliding into the darkness of war, upholding

the ancient principle of “an eye for an eye, a tooth for

a tooth”.

That is why I reiterate to the General Assembly

that our collective efforts to preserve world peace

and security must reject ill-conceived plans that are

only motivated by the strategic interests of the large

Powers and their will to dominate. Instead, we need a

plan that is more suited to the reality of each situation

and that provides a true response to the main causes

of the current crisis. This common agenda should not

manipulate facts to produce collective reactions, but

rather admit past mistakes related to the urge to impose

peace through war. Only by correcting our way of

thinking and acting will we truly be giving peace a

chance.

The responses to the crises faced by humankind

should not be weakened by the desire to end war by

waging war. Instead, they must be based on the desire

to build a world of peace, supported by dialogue and by

an effort — herculean, if need be — to respond to the

root causes of problems that lead to terrorism, racism,

extremism and intolerance. When dozens of millions

of people throughout the world suffer the horrors of

conflict and the countless abuses perpetrated in this

century of globalization, the actions by the international

community should give priority to the establishment

of the best mechanisms for resolving the problems

of exclusion, discrimination and marginalization of

groups, sects and ethnicities.

We must also ensure, from the very start, that the

societies emerging from the ashes of those conflicts and

committed to leaving the memories of the past behind

are entitled to a vital transitional period with respect to

their behaviours, their ways of thinking and acting, and

their own internal rules and commitments. Otherwise,

we will just be sowing the seeds for new conflicts that

we may end up reaping later on. The war in Iraq, which

has destroyed the legacy of a centuries-old civilization,

and the bloody conflicts in Afghanistan, Libya, Syria

and Ukraine, should make the international community

draw its conclusions about the international standards

applied in those contexts. The uncertainty and the

bloody anguish that surround Israel and Palestine,

with those two peoples destined to live side by side,

should alert us once and for all to the fact that fear and

insecurity for the future lead to hate, which is the root

of all evils.

Timor-Leste knows only too well the consequences

and the scars of war. In addition to the hundreds of

thousands of Timorese killed, we also witnessed the

near-complete destruction of our country. A State

born without the ability to ensure and promote the

fundamental rights and liberties of its citizens is a

fragile State that is unable to carry out its main mission.

Immediately after the war, we started to reconcile

Timorese society. We wanted to achieve peace, since

without peace we could not feel free. We have also

embraced Indonesia in order to achieve true and

genuine reconciliation. Instead of feeding hatred

and vengeance, we nurtured solidarity and tolerance

between our communities. In that manner, we cultivated

a sound relationship of cooperation between our States

and our peoples.

Western democracies are prone to paying for costly

international tribunals for judging genocides. They also

tend to feel shocked by the human rights violations that

occur in developing countries. The issue with Indonesia

cannot be seen only in terms of the actions by its

military and its generals. Instead, it must be seen within

a broader perspective, in which the Governments of the

Western Powers sold sophisticated weapons like rifles,

warships, fighters, ammunition, tanks and cannons to

the Indonesian military, in addition to providing it with

training, so that it could decimate the Timorese. That is

why we Timorese and Indonesians preferred instead to

record the truth of the facts, to close this painful chapter

in our past and to look to the future, which required and

continues to require much effort to develop both nations

and improve the living conditions of both peoples.

With its pluralistic and tolerant society, Indonesia is

more than a close neighbour. Indeed, it is an inspiration

for Timor-Leste. Under the wise leadership of President

Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, we have witnessed the

establishment of a modern democracy that harmonizes

progress with the promotion of national, regional

and international peace. We sincerely hope that the

peaceful transition to President Joko Widodo will

bring more success to that great nation. And I say this

in a year when Timor-Leste is celebrating the twelfth

anniversary of its independence.

We have learned from our weaknesses and today

we are living in an atmosphere of social and political

peace. We are very familiar with the challenges that

are inherent in the efforts of developing a nation and

of building peace and security. We are very thankful

for the support that the United Nations and all donor

countries have provided to Timor-Leste. Nevertheless,

the years of partnership have also taught us important

lessons, which we have been sharing with the world,

particularly the fragile States. We are encouraging them

to take ownership of their processes and be committed

to the future of their citizens.

We have also started to be more internationally

active. We have been working hard within the scope of

the Group of Seven Plus, a group that brings together 20

fragile and conflict-affected countries. In addition to

sharing experiences and knowledge and seeking to put

the needs of those countries on the global development

agenda, we continue repeating, as many leaders have

been doing since yesterday, that without peace there

can be no development. In turn, without development

there can be no room for democratic transition, since

democracy is a dynamic process of assimilating

principles and values, rather than a process to be

measured by elections alone.

And that brings us to the subject of the general debate

at this sixty-ninth session of the General Assembly — the

post-2015 development agenda. Inequality is increasing

dangerously throughout the world, with wealth being

concentrated in the hands of a few to the detriment of

us all. Even after the world learned of the greed and

the corruption of the international financial system that

led to the global financial crisis, we are now seeing

how the faltering economic recovery is benefiting only

those who were responsible for the financial meltdown

in the first place. Despite the best efforts of the

Secretary-General and his team at the United Nations,

we are almost in 2015 and know that 2.2 billion people

throughout the world are already in or are entering the

ranks of the extreme poor, without even knowing what

the Millennium Development Goals are.

In that regard, I must draw attention to the incorrect

practice on the part of international organizations to

view each of the 193 States Members of the United

Nations in the same manner, regardless of whether they

are large or small, rich or poor, young or in a transitional

period or centuries-old, developed, with emerging

economies, or underdeveloped. And these development

indices create scales of values that are both unfair and

demotivating to the majority of the least developed

countries. Accordingly, all of us in attendance here

today have a historic opportunity to share our thoughts

on the enormous challenges ahead of us, so as to outline

a truly transformative agenda in which no country is

left behind.

However, the issue that deserves our collective

attention and requires urgent measures is the mitigation

of the environmental threats that continue to increase and

are hindering the legitimate perspectives of emerging

and developing countries. Fortunately, yesterday’s

summit on climate change raised expectations in

relation to actual action plans being implemented

in some countries. The plans will be expanded to

the global level next year in Paris. Some developed

countries have also committed to providing capital

to the Adaptation Fund, which is vitally important to

developing countries. Ms. Emilia Pires, the Minister

of Finance of Timor-Leste, was a member of the high-

level panel that advised the Secretary-General on that

agenda.

In 2013 and until August, Timor-Leste had the

honour of assuming the presidency of the sixty-ninth

session of the Economic and Social Commission for

Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP). As such, we had the

privilege of presiding over the session for one year

and working with ESCAP and the nations of the Asia-

Pacific region in order to achieve progress and improve

human development. Timor-Leste is committed to that

noble ideal and to that deserving mission of helping to

nurture a culture of peace in our region through the

gradual and persistent reduction of social inequalities

within each country and among countries.

However, in our region, including within the

scope of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations,

countries are cooperating and promoting peace,

which has enabled the rise of the Asian region, led by

China, and lifted hundreds of millions of people out of

poverty. However, we cannot but be concerned by the

developments in the East and South China Sea.

That brings us to a key issue that is of vital

importance to Timor-Leste. I am speaking of the need

to set maritime borders between countries in a clear and

serious manner, in line with international law. Back in

2002, when we began to walk our own path in freedom,

we saw a globalized world in which the arrogance of the

powerful and the ambition of the rich, who prey upon

the inexperience and ignorance of the poor and the

weak to act dishonestly and in bad faith, prevailed, as

a serious insult to universal values. And I must affirm

that big multinationals have always played an improper

and disloyal role, acting dishonestly and in bad faith

when dealing with poor countries.

Timor-Leste, a young, small and poor country,

was caught off guard in that sophisticated culture of

manipulation and deceit. Nevertheless, we want to

continue believing that international mechanisms, such

as the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea,

contribute to justice between nations and understanding

between peoples, so as to defend sovereign rights and

the truth.

Today, those commitments are vital in order to

start rebuilding trust in the world system and to prevent

tensions from increasing. The strengthening of dialogue

and tolerance and the promotion of a new diplomacy

must be translated from a set of good intentions into

actual deeds in the international arena. But what is truly

intriguing is the fact that no decent country has yet

advocated the need to carry out inquiries to determine

the origin of the weapons used to massacre civilians,

particularly those used to kill women and children,

so as to identify the true beneficiaries of the world

crisis — those who are selling weapons to uncontrolled

gangs throughout the world.

Before I conclude, I would like to inform the

Assembly that this year, Timor-Leste has assumed

the rotating presidency of the Community of

Portuguese-speaking Countries (CPLP). In that forum,

we want to use diplomacy and cooperation to nurture

our joint economic potential by making use of our

regional ties. We also want to spread a message of

peace, human rights and social justice throughout all

the forums in which we are represented.

Guinea-Bissau is a member of that community and

a country with which Timor-Leste has been closely

involved, including within the scope of the Group of

Seven Plus, particularly once Timor-Leste realized that

Guinea-Bissau had been left to its fate at the mercy of

international sanctions. After a devastating cycle of

coups, we felt that the people of Guinea-Bissau needed

peace and stability, and we saw how their leaders were

striving to achieve a collective commitment that would

benefit the people and the country.

Timor-Leste had the honour of providing financial

support and of sending a technical team to provide

assistance throughout the entire electoral process in

Guinea-Bissau. That process, which involved massive

democratic participation, was a success and restored

constitutional order in the country. Still, as we all know,

elections are but a starting point, and a State without

the means to ensure the basic needs of its people faces

countless challenges that can jeopardize the promise of

peace and national cohesion.

In line with the subject of the debate in the General

Assembly, I must say that it is now urgent to create

the conditions to enable Guinea-Bissau to move from

fragility to resilience by supporting its State agencies.

Guinea-Bissau needs to restore its public administration

and its State agencies, as well as to reform its defence and

security sector by modernizing its forces. Furthermore,

Guinea-Bissau requires a financial boost in order to

jump-start its economy.

Within the scope of the CPLP, we want to have

active collaboration with the authorities of Guinea-

Bissau and with its international partners, namely the

Economic Community of West African States, so as

to hold an international conference on aid to Guinea-

Bissau as soon as possible. The conference should start

by focusing on matters of extreme urgency, such as

salaries, food, security, fuel and health. Timor-Leste

has already contributed $6 million, which corresponds

to one month of public-sector salaries in the country.

I also urge every country in attendance to join Timor-

Leste and the CPLP countries, in keeping with the

highest values of international solidarity, in supporting

the consolidation of the achievements made so far by

the people of Guinea-Bissau. Indeed, that is something

that will also convey a promise of peace to the entire

African continent.

And I cannot talk about Africa — a continent

that is already wounded on the inside and ravaged by

hunger and poverty — without mentioning the scourge

of the Ebola virus, which is presently challenging the

international health system itself. That epidemic, which

is unprecedented in our time, requires a vital and urgent

commitment by the international community. This

morning in the Ebola campaign I found out that Timor-

Leste will provide $1 million as immediate support

within the spirit of solidarity that guides the Group of

Seven Plus, which includes Sierra Leone, Liberia and

Guinea-Conakry. Next year we will also be allocating

an equal amount to help fight the epidemic.

The great challenge in today’s world is liberating

people from fear. I am talking about the fear of

difference, insecurity, hunger, poverty and disease, the

fear of losing power or the fear of becoming a slave to

power. In today’s unbalanced and unequal world, we

need to have the courage to speak a language of trust

and tranquillity. We need to pacify minds, encourage

dialogue and free people from doubt and feelings of

injustice so that they acquire greater tolerance and

greater respect for differences and diversity. We need

to free people from the yoke of poverty and from the

deplorable conditions in which they are living so as to

ensure their right to development. We still have time

to write a different and more humane tale for today’s

generation and future generations.

Timor-Leste wants to make an active contribution

to a better world, where each country may live in

tolerance, harmony and tranquillity within a true

atmosphere of friendship and solidarity that promotes

peace. Such peace must start in the minds and behaviours

of the people at every level of society, so that they can

have a positive influence on the policies of the global

centres of decision-making. That is the only way for us

to believe that the baby from the Marshall Islands who

touched all our hearts two days ago may be certain that

her future is guaranteed and that she will be able to live

in those small islands that make up her country.