UN General Assembly
2006

As I have just been re- elected, this is my first opportunity to speak to this forum at the beginning of my second term. It is therefore with great pleasure that I am here today for this sixty-first session of the General Assembly. Please allow me to congratulate Mrs. Haya Rashed Al-Khalifa on her election as the new President of the General Assembly. We are fortunate to have as our President a diplomat with such magnificent credentials. In addition, this is a milestone for the United Nations which makes us all proud. My country, Sao Tome and Principe, is a firm believer in gender equality. I am proud to say that we have a very high percentage of girls in our schools. A woman has held the presidency of our National Assembly, and the current head of our Supreme Court is a woman. We have had two female Prime Ministers, and today women head half of our Government ministries. We are therefore delighted by her election and wish her every success. I thank also the outgoing President, Mr. Jan