I would like to begin
my statement by congratulating Ambassador John
William Ashe on his election as President of the General
Assembly at its sixty-eighth session. I would also like to
extend our congratulations to his country, Antigua and
Barbuda, which is honoured by the selection of one of
its sons to preside this year over the most representative
world institution.

The President carries on his shoulders the
responsibility for guiding the work of the current session
of the General Assembly at a time that all consider to be
politically very critical for the international community.
Indeed, the reality that the international community
faces today is that of a world troubled by dangerous
global geopolitical tensions and an international
financial and economic crisis that is deeper and wider
than any we have seen since the 1930s. The intensity
of the crisis has thrown millions of people onto the
unemployment rolls and created millions of new poor
throughout the world.

There are new fears, new dangers and new threats
around the world — from transnational terrorism
to arms and drug trafficking as well as frightening
interfaith tensions that often result in bloodshed. Other
dangers include the return of brutal, old-style piracy
to the modern age, not only off the coast of Somalia
but also in the Gulf of Guinea, threatening important
routes through which oil is transported to fuel the world
economy, creating insecurity for the international
merchant marine and facilitating illicit fishing and
all manner of illegal maritime trafficking in arms,
human beings and psychotropic substances; persistent
outbreaks of ethnic violence that cause enormous
human suffering; and unimaginable humanitarian
disasters in various areas.

I come from a small country on the westernmost tip
of the African coast. We are a poor country, but we have
not lost the hope of achieving, in peace, the progress
to which we are entitled. Two days ago we celebrated
the fortieth anniversary of our national independence,
so this is a good time for us to reaffirm the following:
during the entire period of armed struggle for national
liberation, the people that I represent believed in the
United Nations and in international law, and my country

today reiterates, maintains and further reinforces that
belief.

We achieved national independence in 1973. It was
not given to us by anybody but became possible only
as a result of the international solidarity of some and,
ultimately, the recognition of all.

To all without exception, I wish, on behalf of Guinea-
Bissau, to express our feeling of eternal gratitude, to
declare our firm desire to strengthen longstanding ties
of friendship and to affirm our willingness, despite
all that has transpired, to rebuild the foundations of
solidarity that united our peoples in the past.

From this rostrum I ask for the Assembly’s patience
and understanding and hope for its solidarity. I believe
that expressions of generosity are in no way inconsistent
with the cold rationality of relations among sovereign
States. I am the Interim President of the Republic of
Guinea-Bissau, and that title, as the Assembly is well
aware, indicates something particular and exceptional.

Indeed, the political and military events of 12 April
2012 created a new political environment in my country.
A military coup had ousted the interim President of the
Republic and a self-suspended Prime Minister who
had launched an inconclusive campaign to run for the
presidency. Faced with that situation, we wondered
what to do.

Fortunately, the best option available at the time, in
our opinion, ultimately prevailed. We were able to avoid
political problems that, had they taken hold, could have
thrown the country into a political and military tailspin
with consequences that would have been unpredictable
and certainly much graver than those we nonetheless
had to face and, in some ways, continue to face.

We therefore had to circumscribe the dynamics of
the military coup, control its political effects and limit
its institutional reach, and, as if that were not enough,
we had to deal with two opposing positions that emerged
both internally and abroad.

One of them was deeply detrimental to the peaceful
return to constitutional normality in my country, but
the other was much more realistic and thus more
promising in terms of the gradual re-establishment
of constitutional order. We had to deal with the first
so-called position, which was both curious and
dramatic. That position was taken by people who
would have preferred to see the worst possible situation
in Guinea-Bissau. Why? They were betting on the
degradation of the political situation in my country in
order to justify their views, confirm their predictions
and operationalize their political concepts of how to
resolve the crisis in Guinea-Bissau. Indeed, they made
every attempt to apply the formula of “the worse for
Guinea-Bissau, the better” — the better to serve their
own interests. With such a radical position, they were
truly able to touch the deepest sensibilities of a people
that is humble but refuses to be humiliated.

We are a true democracy, notwithstanding all our
flaws, the violations of the democratic purpose of the
State and the many detours taken. We are the first to
recognize that. But we must not forget that we are, first,
a State born out of centuries of pain and hope and of a
hard and victorious struggle for national independence,
which has had a strong influence on the determination
of the political values to be defended.

In order to enable the second option on the table
to go forward, we were able to rely on the realism
and prompt solidarity of the Economic Community of
West African States (ECOWAS). With the important
support of the Security Council, ECOWAS became
solely responsible for managing the agreed transition
period and created a reduced stabilization military
mission that became known as the ECOWAS Mission
in Guinea-Bissau.

At the political and institutional levels, the
parliament elected by the people of Guinea-Bissau — the
National People’s Assembly — remained standing and
thus was able to provide the political transition with a
legitimate and legitimizing institutional basis. In fact,
the Constitution of the Republic was never suspended.

That is the origin of the office of the Interim
President of the Republic. It did not come from a military
coup. It came, rather, from an elected Parliament and
therefore from a political and institutional process.
That makes all the difference.

I combined the position of Member of Parliament,
elected to the position four times in a row, with that
of First Vice-President of that body of sovereignty: in
other words, all modesty aside, I am a democrat with a
mature conviction and never carried out a coup d’état or
ordered any such action.

Indeed, with the inauguration of the Interim
President of the Republic, the political transition process

per se began. After some time, Parliament approved the
revised transition pact and the corresponding political
agreement. Later on it approved the programme
and general budget for the State, submitted by a
Government with a broad political base, which I, as
Interim President of the Republic, had appointed and
installed by presidential decree.

With those steps, the political transition truly
took off. I have signed a presidential decree setting
24 November as the date for the legislative and
presidential elections. What remains, which is no small
task, is to ensure the availability of funds to carry out
an effective, transparent and unquestionable electoral
process. To that end, we must create reliable voter
registries, something that can be accomplished only
through an accurate census or voter registration process.
That is where the political transition in Guinea-Bissau
stands.

Guinea-Bissau is the victim of two dramatically
interlinked evils: poverty and political instability. In
a society such as that of my country, poverty creates
a propensity for political instability. In turn, political
instability has an impact on the economic order,
reduces the rate of growth and thus increases the
poverty rate. The challenge ahead consists precisely
of escaping the two traps of poverty and political
instability. Overcoming this challenge obviously goes
well beyond the goals for this exceptional period of
political transition. Therefore, in that regard, we will
not go into further detail.

In the light of this enormous economic and political
liability, which has yet to be resolved, achieving the
Millennium Development Goals within a given time
frame is truly beyond our means, for the foreseeable
future at least. But this recognition does not mean that
the Government, civil society and Guinea-Bissau’s
bilateral and multilateral development partners
in general, including United Nations specialized
agencies, have given up on the effort. On the contrary,
in education, health, gender-equality policies, the fight
against poverty, environmental policies for sustainable
development, and other areas, our country has made
progress, though moderate and below satisfactory
levels.

With respect to the outcome document of the United
Nations Conference on Sustainable Development,
entitled “The future we want” (resolution 66/288,
annex), Guinea-Bissau will make every effort to carry
out the commitments undertaken. We hope that the more
developed countries, our partners, will do their part in
the fight against poverty, one of the greatest scourges
afflicting States such as Guinea-Bissau, which are very
fragile and therefore very vulnerable, and still suffering
from the grave consequences of armed conflict.

Guinea-Bissau supports the establishment on
24 September of the High-level Political Forum on
Sustainable Development. It replaces the Commission
on Sustainable Development and will develop the
United Nations post-2015 development agenda. As a
country of many islands, Guinea-Bissau welcomes the
Secretary-General’s initiative to convene the Third
International Conference on Small Island Developing
States, in Samoa, in September 2014.

We take this opportunity to thank the United
Nations, and Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in
particular, for their dedication to our country and for
appointing former President of Timor-Leste José Ramos-
Horta as United Nations Special Representative and
Head of the United Nations Integrated Peacebuilding
Office in Guinea-Bissau. Mr. Ramos-Horta has made
excellent contributions to the political normalization of
our country.

The State of Guinea-Bissau is not oblivious to the
evolution of the international political environment.
Guinea-Bissau has never been indifferent to the hopes
and suffering of people all over the world. In that
regard, we stand firm in solidarity with our brothers
in ECOWAS. We wish the people of Mali the best of
luck. Mali has just demonstrated its immense maturity
by going to the polls during recent general elections
with civic pride, marking the end of a period of political
transition. That also sent a strong starting signal
for national reconciliation and efforts to rebuild the
country, which was destroyed by acts of terrorism and
unacceptable irredentism. We take this opportunity to
congratulate France on its crucial role in safeguarding
the integrity of Malian territory, which is the foundation
of the country’s sovereignty.

We repudiate the terrorist attacks that have taken
place in Nigeria and Kenya, spurred by radicalism in
the name of religious intolerance. We offer our full
support to the sister nations of Nigeria and Kenya,
Presidents Goodluck Jonathan and Uhuru Kenyatta,
their Governments and the families of all the victims.
We hope that neighbouring Guinea undergoes a
successful electoral process, paving the path for true
national reconciliation in that country.

In Egypt and Syria, which has been ravaged by
war, we hope that dialogue and diplomacy prevail over
force, so that we can avoid sacrificing more human
lives. In the Middle East, we continue to defend the
Palestinian cause with as much conviction as ever. It is
crucial for the Palestinian people in particular, and for
political stability and peacebuilding in the Arab world
in general, that negotiations between the Palestinian
authorities and the State of Israel advance towards the
creation of a sovereign Palestinian State, in accordance
with the relevant resolutions of the United Nations.

As to Europe, we offer a special word of recognition
to France, which has never abandoned us and continues
very actively to seek better ways of helping Guinea-
Bissau overcome a political crisis. We also thank the
Kingdom of Spain, whose Ambassador to the United
Nations has been instrumental in efforts towards
political normalization. Our friend Timor-Leste, a small
country within the Community of Portuguese-Speaking
Countries (CPLP), has exhibited an admirable spirit of
cooperation with Guinea-Bissau, demonstrating that
friends do come through in the most difficult of times.
The Timorese authorities have understood the very
simple fact that supporting an institutional process of
political normalization is not the same as supporting a
coup d’état. It is, indeed, quite the contrary.

We very much thank President Armando
Guebuza, current President of the CPLP, for his fair
assessment of the political process in Guinea-Bissau,
for his encouragement and for appealing to the
international community to provide financial support
for general elections in Guinea-Bissau. We also take
this opportunity to congratulate Murade Murargy,
a Mozambican national who currently serves as the
Executive Secretary of CPLP, for his dedication to
the political normalization process in our country. We
hope one day, and perhaps one day soon, to see a full
normalization of our relations with the countries of the
CPLP, which is in the interests of all our peoples and
sovereign States.

With respect to Cuba, we call, as we have always
done, for an end to the decades-long embargo and
for the advancement of the reforms under way in that
friendly nation, with which we have so many and such
deep ties of friendship and solidarity.

With respect to Asia, we wish to express our
profound gratitude to the People’s Republic of China
for the extent and intensity of its cooperation with our
country. The fruits of this cooperation, particularly
in the construction of key public buildings, will enter
history as indelible symbols of a friendship that dates
back to our armed struggle for national liberation.

We express the profound gratitude of the people of
Guinea-Bissau to Mr. Alassane Ouattara, President of
the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire and current President of
ECOWAS, and to Mr. Goodluck Jonathan, President
of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and President of
the International Contact Group on Guinea-Bissau, as
well as to all the Heads of State and Government of the
member countries of ECOWAS.


This
year has been an unusual one in China’s development.
China’s new central collective leadership has put
forward the concept of the “Chinese dream”, a dream of
the great renewal of the Chinese nation, and it is leading
the 1.3 billion Chinese people in an endeavour to fulfil
the two centennial goals, namely, to finish building a
moderately prosperous society in all respects by 2020
and to turn China into a modern socialist country by
the mid-twenty-first century. Having experienced
profound changes in the past 5,000 years and especially
the past century, China has reached a new historical
starting point today.

What development path will China take in the
future? What domestic and foreign policies will it
pursue? And what kind of international role will it play?
I understand that those questions are of great interest to
the international community. As the Foreign Minister
of the new Chinese Government, I wish to give an
emphatic answer to each of them.

China will stay firmly on the path of peaceful
development. China’s rapid development over the years
has given rise to worries that China might follow the
old pattern of wealth breeding arrogance and strength
leading to hegemony, and various versions of the China
threat theory have surfaced. However, what happened
in the past should not be applied to today’s China.

The outdated Cold War mentality has no place
in the new era of globalization. The Chinese nation
loves peace and the Chinese culture values harmony.
Throughout history, the Chinese people have always
embraced international exchanges and trade, not
foreign aggression and expansion, and have adhered to
the patriotic resolve to defend the homeland rather than
the colonialist doctrine of seizing new territories.

The culture of a country determines its values,
and its history points the way to its future. Close to 40
years ago, it was from this rsotrum that the Chinese
leader Deng Xiaoping solemnly declared on behalf of
the Chinese Government that China would never seek
hegemony in the world. Today, his statement remains
our unchanging commitment and conviction. China has
honoured and will continue to honour its promise and
remain a staunch force for upholding world peace.

China pursues peaceful development and calls
on all other countries to follow the same path. Since
the beginning of reform and opening up, China has
become increasingly interdependent with the global
economy and integrated into the international system.
We are committed to working with others to establish
a new type of international relations, based on win-win
cooperation, and to seek the peaceful resolution of
international and regional disputes. With regard to
China’s disputes with some countries over territorial
sovereignty and maritime rights and interests, we
sincerely hope to resolve them in accordance with
proper procedures, through negotiation and consultation
with the countries directly involved. Those disputes
that cannot be resolved now can be shelved for future
resolution. That is our consistent position and practice.
On the other hand, we will, whatever the circumstances,
firmly safeguard China’s sovereignty and territorial
integrity and resolutely uphold China’s legitimate and
lawful rights and interests.

China will remain committed to reform, to opening
up and to sustainable development. It has been five
years since the outbreak of the international financial
crisis. The global economy is back on the right track
to recovery, but the foundations of the recovery are not
solid and the speed is not fast enough. The root causes
of the financial crisis have yet to be removed, and the
structural problems of developed countries remain
unresolved. The adjustment of unconventional monetary
policies from the outside, coupled with other factors,
have posed new challenges and the risk of financial
market volatility to emerging market countries.

Where the Chinese economy is heading engages
both domestic and international attention. In that
regard, I wish to inform the Assembly that both the
fundamentals and the overall performance of China’s
economy are sound, and China’s development prospects
are bright. The leading indicators of the Chinese
economy are generally good, and China leads the major
economies in growth rate.

In pursuit of progress while maintaining stability,
the Chinese Government has followed a macroeconomic
policy that addresses both immediate and long-term
needs and has adopted a series of innovative policy
measures with a view to promoing steady growth,
economic structural adjustment and reform. We are
vigorously pursuing reform, opening up, deepening
economic structural adjustment and accelerating
the shift in our growth model. We are implementing
the basic State policy of resource conservation and
environmental protection and promoting green,
circular and low-carbon development to build a sound
ecological environment and a beautiful China.

With its increasing economic output and its
changing growth model, China’s economy has entered
a phase of high-to-medium growth rate. That is
dictated by the law of economics, and it will ensure
the sustained and healthy growth of the Chinese
economy. The Chinese economy is being upgraded,
and its future growth will deliver major dividends in
four areas as a result of industrialization, information
technology application, a new type of urbanization and
agricultural modernization; reform and innovation;
structural readjustment; and further opening up. It is
projected that in the coming five years, China’s imports
of commodities will exceed $10 trillion, its overseas
investment will reach $500 billion, and Chinese
tourists will make over 400 million outbound visits.
That will give stronger impetus to the world economy
and bring an increasing number of tangible benefits to
other countries.

China will firmly promote reform of the global
governance system with the United Nations at its core.
The United Nations is a big stage for all countries to
conduct consultation and cooperation with one another.
It is also a big family where people of all countries are
brought together. It is our consistent position that the
purposes and principles of the Charter of the United
Nations form the cornerstone of current international
relations and provide safeguards for world peace and
stability. Respecting national sovereignty and opposing
interference in internal affairs, safeguarding peace
and opposing aggression, and promoting equality and
opposing power politics; those are important principles
that must be observed. China firmly upholds the role
and authority of the United Nations, supports the United
Nations in its renewal and self-improvement efforts, in
keeping with a changing world, and looks forward to a
United Nations that plays a larger role in international
affairs. China is ready to deepen cooperation with
the United Nations and get more actively involved in
United Nations activities in various fields.

China is committed to promoting democracy
in international relations and the trend toward a
multipolar world. We call for a greater representation
and voice for developing countries in the global
governance system and support the Group of 20, the
BRICS group — Brazil, Russia, India, China and South
Africa — and other emerging mechanisms that are
playing a key role in making the international order
fairer and more equitable. We also call for the reform
of the international monetary and financial systems and
want the role of the World Trade Organization as the
main forum in the area of trade to be maintained. We
are opposed to trade protectionism and are working to
make economic globalization more balanced, inclusive
and beneficial to all. We call on countries to enhance
macroeconomic policy coordination and be mindful
of the spillover effects of their respective adjustment
of economic policies. We call for the strengthening of
North-South dialogue and South-South cooperation to
make development benefits more accessible to people
of all countries.

China will firmly fulfil its international
responsibilities and obligations. The Chinese nation
is responsible and ready to play its part. Although it
remains a developing country facing the daunting task
of development, China, as the second-largest economy

and a permanent member of the Security Council, is
fully aware of its responsibilities and the expectations
placed on it by the international community. We will be
fully and more actively engaged in international affairs
and work closely with other countries to meet complex
global challenges and tackle the difficult issues facing
humankind. We will voice China’s views, offer China’s
wisdom, propose China’s solutions, play China’s due
role and provide more public goods to the international
community.

We will vigorously advocate the right vision on
justice versus special interests, and we will endeavour
to build a community of common destiny with other
developing countries. In our exchanges and cooperation
with other developing countries, we will uphold justice
and place it above special interests. We will provide
assistance to other developing countries to the best
of our ability, so as to enable developing countries to
realize independent and sustainable development.

We will play a more proactive and constructive role
in addressing international and regional hotspot issues
to promote peace and dialogue, defuse conflicts and
safeguard world peace and stability. We will maintain
our escort missions and counter-piracy operations in the
Gulf of Aden and increase our participation in United
Nations peacekeeping operations so as to contribute
more to peace and security in Africa and other relevant
regions.

The turmoil in Syria has lasted for nearly three
years, causing great suffering and trauma to both the
Syrian people and Syria’s neighbours. The recent use of
chemical weapons has met with universal condemnation.
China firmly opposes the use of chemical weapons.
We hope to see the early adoption of a Security
Council resolution to support the Organization for the
Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in launching
the verification and destruction of chemical weapons,
and we stand ready to make financial contributions to
the OPCW for the destruction of chemical weapons in
Syria and to send experts to work there on the ground.

China calls for an immediate end to hostilities and
violence in Syria so that the necessary conditions for
the verification and destruction of chemical weapons
can be created. We call for the early convening of
the “Geneva II” conference and faster progress on a
political resolution of the Syrian issue. China seeks
no gains for itself in Syria. We respect the aspirations
and choice of the Syrian people. China is following the
humanitarian situation in Syria with great concern. We
have provided and will continue to provide assistance
within our means to the Syrian people, including Syrian
refugees outside the country.

Recently, China has been providing emergency
humanitarian aid to Jordan in the amount of ¥15 million,
and has provided emergency humanitarian aid in cash
worth ¥24 million to the World Food Programme and the
World Health Organization for displaced people within
Syria and Syrian refugees in Lebanon, respectively.

China has been working to promote a peaceful
settlement to the Iranian nuclear issue through
dialogue. We have played a constructive role in
seeking a comprehensive, lasting and appropriate
solution to the Iranian nuclear issue so as to uphold the
international non-proliferation regime and peace and
stability in the Middle East. The dialogue between Iran
and the permanent members of the Security Council
and Germany has created new opportunities. All the
relevant parties should scale up diplomatic efforts and
work for substantive progress in the dialogue at an early
date.

The Palestinian issue is at the core of the Middle
East conflict. Guided by President Xi Jinping’s four-
point proposal on resolving the Palestinian issue, China
will continue to work for a comprehensive, just and
durable solution to the issue.

Thanks to the concerted efforts of all the relevant
parties, tensions on the Korean peninsula are easing.
Achieving the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula
and maintaining long-term peace and stability on the
peninsula will respond to the common interests of all
parties concerned. It is China’s consistent position that
a negotiated solution through dialogue is the right way
to resolve the nuclear issue on the peninsula, and the
Six-Party Talks are an effective platform to promote
denuclearization on the Korean peninsula. This year
marks the tenth anniversary of the launch of the Six-
Party Talks. We hope that all parties will create
conducive conditions, build consensus, work towards
the same goal and resume the talks at an early date.

International development cooperation is at a crucial
stage, where we must build on past achievements to
make new progress. China supports the continued and
full implementation of the Millennium Development
Goals and the early launch of intergovernmental
negotiations on the post-2015 development agenda. The
post-2015 development agenda should continue to focus
on development and poverty elimination, give due

consideration to national conditions and the various
stages of development in the different countries, and
respect their independent choice of development path.
The agenda should give priority to strengthening global
development partnerships; adhere to the principles of
common but differentiated responsibilities, equity and
respective capabilities; improve follow-up mechanisms;
step up development financing; promote trade and
investment liberalization and facilitation; and increase
official development aid and technical support to
developing countries.

China welcomes the positive outcomes of the
United Nations Climate Change Conference held in
Doha in late 2012. China hopes that the developed
countries will demonstrate political will and honour
their commitments by scaling up emissions-reduction
efforts and providing capital, technology and capacity-
building support to developing countries. The Chinese
Government takes climate change seriously, and the
many forceful policy measures it has taken have resulted
in notable progress. China will continue to play its due
role in addressing global climate change.

Time flies. We will soon be celebrating the
seventieth anniversary of the founding of the United
Nations. Born out of the ashes of the Second World War,
the United Nations embodies the yearning of the peoples
of all countries for world peace and global development.
The Chinese dream is a dream of prosperity for the
country and happiness for the people; it has much in
common with the dream of people across the world. As
a responsible Member of the United Nations, China is
ready to work with all other Member States to faithfully
adhere to the purposes of the Charter of the United
Nations, faithfully carry out its historic mission and
continue to make relentless efforts to advance the noble
cause of peace and development for humankind.


Sociopolitical crises, armed conflicts, the degradation
of ecosystems, pandemics like HIV/AIDS, religious
extremism, terrorism, cross-border crime and
development problems are today the vital questions that
call upon the conscience of individuals, summoning
their responsibility for building the present and the
future. I am convinced of the need to enhance our
spirit of sharing and solidarity in order to meet the
challenges of promoting peace, stability and security
and to provide humankind with all the tools needed for
better mastery of its evolution.

Before continuing, I would like to congratulate the
President on his election to preside over the General
Assembly at its sixty-eighth session. In addition, I would
like to express our recognition for the remarkable way
in which his predecessor, Mr. Vuk Jeremi., presided
over the work of the sixty-seventh session. Allow
me also to repeat to the Secretary-General, Mr. Ban

Ki-moon, the expression of the esteem and recognition
of the Government of Burkina Faso for his availability
and staunch commitment to peace and development.

The current session is taking place in an
international context characterized by relentless
economic difficulties and growing threats to peace
and security on a global scale. I take this opportunity
to express to the people of Kenya the compassion and
solidarity of the people of Burkina Faso following
the terrorist attacks that were recently perpetrated in
Nairobi.

The West African subregion continues to be marked
by the stigma of multidimensional crises that have
taken place over the past two decades. Our subregion,
and particularly the Sahelo-Saharan zone, has became a
hideout for drug traffickers and terrorists whose desire
to destabilize the region represents a real threat to the
peace and security of our States.

I would like to welcome the gradual improvement of
the situation in Mali since the deployment of the United
Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization
Mission in Mali and the holding of presidential elections,
which supports the re-established constitutional order.
I would also like to take this opportunity to reiterate my
thanks to all those players who have helped to resolve
the crisis in Mali. To the Malian authorities and people,
I express my warmest congratulations on the success
of the recent presidential elections. The implementation
of the United Nations integrated strategy for the Sahel
will contribute, I am convinced, to enhancing stability
in that country and in the entire Sahelo-Saharan region.
Burkina Faso is determined to play a role alongside the
international community to achieve the objectives of
that strategy.

Dialogue is the favoured way to ensure
understanding among and within peoples. Furthermore,
the Government of Burkina Faso supports strengthening
social cohesion, broadening spaces for freedom and
dialogue, and seeking together solutions to conflicts. It
is in that spirit that my country has been participating
for two decades in peacekeeping operations conducted
by the United Nations, the African Union and the
Economic Community of West African States, with
contingents of about 2,000 men and women who are
deployed in various theatres of operation. I pay tribute
to the efforts of all those who work tirelessly to build a
world of peace and freedom.

Beyond the resolution of sociopolitical and military
crises in West Africa, Burkina Faso strongly supports
the initiatives of the international community that
seek to restore lasting stability in the Central African
Republic, the Democratic People’s Republic of the
Congo, the Great Lakes region, Somalia and the Sudan.

With regard to Western Sahara, my country
supports the search for a political solution acceptable
to all parties and reaffirms its support to the Moroccan
initiative for an autonomous status for the Saharan
region as a credible and realistic alternative in resolving
that dispute.

Beyond the African continent, the situation in the
Syrian Arab Republic urgently requires an immediate
end to the hostilities and a search for political
solutions to the crisis. Therefore we encourage the
implementation of the American-Russian agreement of
14 September aimed at control and dismantlement of
chemical weapons stockpiles.

With regard to the situation in the Middle East,
we welcome the relaunching of direct negotiations
between Israel and Palestine and strongly encourage
the different parties to work towards a peaceful solution
to the conflict in order to reach a fair and equitable
solution based on the recognition of a Palestinian State
living in perfect harmony with Israel.

The climate of dialogue and détente that
characterizes relations between the Republic of China
on Taiwan and the People’s Republic of China should
be welcomed and encouraged. In that spirit, we must
welcome the Republic of China on Taiwan in the
United Nations specialized agencies, particularly the
International Civil Aviation Organization and the United
Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
We also welcome Taiwan’s incalculable contribution
in support of the achievement by developing countries
such as Burkina Faso of the Millennium Development
Goals.

Peace in Africa requires pertinant socioeconomic
development programmes to generate effective
responses to the uncertainties created by the
international economic situation and to strengthen
trust between the people and the leaders. A landlocked
country of the Sahel without great natural resources,
Burkina Faso is committed to implementing strong
policies in the context of its Strategy of Accelerated
Growth and Sustainable Development, with a view to

promoting development and to significantly improving
in the quality of life of the people of Burkina Faso.

As we approach the deadline for achieving the
Millennium Development Goals, the theme of the
current session, “The post-2015 development agenda:
setting the stage”, raises in a pertinant way the issue of
the dialectical relationship between development, peace
and security. It therefore offers us an opportunity to
focus our thinking on a new vision in order to achieve
comprehensive progress, based on strong international
solidarity, towards sustainable development. That
is why it is important that we redouble our efforts
to regulate environmental issues on the basis of
the outcome of the United Nations Conference on
Sustainable Development (resolution 66/288, annex),
held in 2012 in Rio de Janeiro.

Peace and stability appear as still-distant goals,
given the number of centres of conflict throughout
the world. That situation demands that we further
strengthen multilateralism, rigorously apply the
principles enshrined in the Charter of our Organization,
strengthen the instruments for promoting those ideals
and carry out the reform of United Nations bodies, in
particular the Security Council. It is my hope that the
General Assembly’s work at this session will contribute
to achieving those noble objectives for a more fulfilled
and united humankind.


As this is the first time
that I take the floor before the General Assembly,
at the headquarters of international legitimacy and
multilateralism, I would like to begin by reiterating
Portugal’s firm and unwavering commitment to the
United Nations, its Charter and the values and principles
that guide its action.

I congratulate the President on his election. His long
international career and vast experience in the United
Nations system have placed him in a privileged position
to preside over the central organ of the Organization.
His election reflects a recognition on the part of all
Member States of the strong commitment to the United
Nations and multilateralism of his country, Antigua
and Barbuda, the Caribbean Community and the Group
of Latin American and Caribbean States. I would also
like to convey my country’s acknowledgement of the
dynamism and dedication with which the President of
the General Assembly at its previous session, Mr. Vuk
Jeremi., performed his duties. I wish also to express
special appreciation for the Secretary-General’s
untiring work in defence of peace during an extremely
challenging period for the international community. As
always, the Secretary-General can continue to count on
Portugal’s support.

I take this opportunity to strongly condemn the
terrorist attack that occurred in Nairobi and to deliver a
message of solidarity to the authorities and the people
of Kenya. Acts such as those remind us that efforts
to combat terrorism continue to be of paramount
importance. We will not live in a world of peace and
liberty or in an environment of tolerance and mutual
respect until we eradicate terrorism.

The Organization was created to save succeeding
generations from the scourge of war, basing its action
on faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity
and worth of the human person. The United Nations has
undertaken much in its 68 years to achieve those goals
globally. Unfortunately, in many regions those goals
remain an illusion. Such is the case in Syria, where the
horrors of war and the unspeakable suffering of the
population now prevail. The devastating images that
reach us daily show a country that is being physically
destroyed. The numbers speak for themselves: more
than 100,000 dead, almost 7 million people in need of
humanitarian assistance, 4 million internally displaced
persons and 2 million refugees. A tragedy on that
scale is the result of serious and systematic violations
of human rights and international humanitarian law,
aggravated by the recent and unacceptable use of
chemical weapons, something we believed had been
universally banished forever.

The world was shocked at the use of chemical
weapons in Ghouta on 21 August. I want to be
very clear about this: the use of chemical weapons
represents a violation of international law, a heinous
crime and a regression from civilization. We cannot
stand idle in the face of such a violation of the barrier
between civilization and barbarism, a barrier that the
international community has vowed never to cross
again. We, the members of the Assembly, once again
face a serious international crisis where we are in a

position to reaffirm the centrality of the United Nations
in solving it. With the Security Council blocked and
powerless, it was the absence of the United Nations
in the period when prevention and control were still
possible that allowed the Syrian crisis to reach such
dramatic and unacceptable political and humanitarian
proportions. We would certainly have had fewer
casualties and refugees, and would surely not now be
dealing with a huge international crisis resulting from
the use of chemical weapons. Now, when an agreement
has been reached to remove the threat posed by the
chemical arsenal of the Syrian regime once and for all,
the international community has again turned to the
Security Council.

I would like to commend the enormous political
and diplomatic efforts of the United States and Russia,
with the involvement of Joint Special Envoy Lakhdar
Brahimi. The commitment and spirit of compromise
that they demonstrated in the process enabled them
to arrive at an important agreement and the adoption
yesterday of Security Council resolution 2118 (2013),
which, hopefully, will ensure its implementation.
The Security Council, in close collaboration with the
Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons,
has assumed its responsibilities under the Charter of
the United Nations, finally creating a prospect for hope
for a global political solution to the Syrian issue. It is
now essential that we seize the opportunity created by
the initiative on chemical weapons to consolidate the
political-diplomatic track and hold the “Geneva II”
conference. Nevertheless, the primary responsibility
for resolving the Syrian crisis lies with the parties to the
conflict. Without their will and commitment, no political
solution is possible. The international community must
keep up the pressure on the parties, particularly the
Damascus regime, with a view to achieving a peaceful
and sustainable democratic future in which every sector
of Syrian society feels represented.

The Middle East has also seen some positive recent
developments with the resumption of the peace process
between Israel and Palestine. I would like to reaffirm
before the Assembly Portugal’s full support for that
process. I congratulate the United States of America
on its initiative and applaud the Palestinian and Israeli
authorities for the courage and leadership shown in their
decision to resume negotiations. There can be no lasting
peace, stability or security in the Middle East unless the
question of Palestine is settled. The present opportunity
to ensure security for all and justice, finally, for the
Palestinians must not be missed. We have a unique
opportunity to find a peaceful solution on the basis of
United Nations resolutions and internationally agreed
parameters that establishes a sovereign, independent
and viable Palestinian State and addresses Israel’s
security concerns.

Also in the Middle East, we have been following
with great concern the prolonged deadlock in the
search for a solution to the Iranian nuclear issue. It is
regrettable that, despite all the diplomatic efforts and
pressure on the part of the international community,
no solid progress has been made so far. Nevertheless,
we view as positive signs the recent statements made
by high-ranking Iranian officials, in particular by
President Hassan Rouhani here in the General Assembly
(see A/68/PV.6). I appeal to the Iranian authorities
to translate those encouraging political signals into
concrete steps conducive to a negotiated solution that
can restore the international community’s confidence
in a peaceful and civilian Iranian nuclear programme.

Another issue of concern is the situation in the
Republic of Guinea-Bissau, where the constitutional
order has been subverted since the coup d’état of
12 April 2012. As a member of the European Union, the
Community of Portuguese-speaking Countries (CPLP)
and the United Nations, and in close coordination with
the Economic Community of West African States,
as well as through bilateral measures, Portugal is
continuing with its efforts to help the people of Guinea-
Bissau overcome the current crisis. We acknowledge
the work done by Special Representative of the
Secretary-General Ramos-Horta to promote a dialogue
among the main political actors with a view to restoring
the constitutional order. The formation of an inclusive
Government was, in that sense, a step forward.

However, restoring constitutional order and
normalizing Guinea-Bissau’s relations with the
international community require that presidential
and legislative elections be held, in accordance with
the commitments undertaken by the current Guinean
authorities and as reiterated in the press statement
issued by the President of the Security Council on
11 September. We are, however, very concerned about
the possibility that has been raised of a new extension
of the transitional period. The international community
should also emphasize that for the elections to be
free, fair and transparent, the current authorities must
guarantee that all Guinean citizens, without exception,
can participate in those elections, in full enjoyment

of their rights, including the rights of the freedoms of
speech and association. Only a new Government that
enjoys the legitimacy conferred by a free popular vote
and is appointed in accordance with the Constitution
can promote long-overdue reforms in the security,
administration and justice sectors.

The crisis in Guinea-Bissau also has clear and
worrying connections with the Sahel region through
drug-trafficking routes. Europe, and especially its
southern countries, is following the situation in
the Sahel with particular concern. I can assure the
Assembly that we will continue to make every effort
to help stabilize the region. In that context, the United
Nations integrated strategy for the Sahel represents a
major contribution.

Portugal is currently co-President of the Western
Mediterranean forum known as the 5+5 initiative,
which brings together 10 countries on the northern
and southern Mediterranean coasts. The dialogue and
confidence-building that that informal instrument
provides represents important added value for its
members and the region. We are therefore engaged in
exploring all of its potential for cooperation.

The Charter of the United Nations defends the
importance of using international mechanisms to
promote the economic and social advancement of all
peoples. In the noble spirit of the United Nations and
following the historic and inspiring launch in 2000
of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the
current session of the General Assembly will be a
critical launching pad for defining our priorities and the
path we will follow in our common efforts towards the
2015 summit at which we will adopt our development
principles and goals for the coming years.

I commend the President for the timeliness of his
choice of theme for this general debate, “The post-
2015 development agenda: setting the stage”. On
25 September, I had an opportunity to participate in the
special event on the Millennium Development Goals,
which enabled us to thoroughly discuss the progress
achieved to date on the MDGs and provide important
guidance for our future work. It is our conviction that
the set of MDGs should serve as the reference point for
establishing the new development agenda, which should
maintain a focus on poverty reduction and sustainable
development in all its dimensions, while giving special
attention to the needs of least developed countries.

But we need a broader, more inclusive and strategic
vision. We must go beyond the traditional relationship
between donors and recipients to create partnerships that
involve new international actors. For Portugal, different
modalities of assistance, new sources of financing
and a strengthened principle of shared responsibility,
leadership and ownership on the part of developing
countries are the main guiding principles for the post-
2015 development agenda. The inaugural meeting of the
High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development
was politically highly significant. Portugal remains
committed to ensuring that the Forum acts as a catalyst
for international efforts, ensuring a more efficient and
coherent link between the various processes in the area
of sustainable development and poverty eradication.

In the context of the outcome of the 2012 United
Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, I
would like to stress the importance of progress on the
issue of oceans, which is a crucial matter for a maritime
country like Portugal. We welcome Member States’
commitment to discussing the issue of the conservation
and sustainable use of marine biodiversity beyond
areas of national jurisdiction. In this context, Portugal
is strongly in favour of the negotiation and adoption
of an international instrument in the framework of the
United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

Reforms and institutional innovations such as those
I have just mentioned represent important changes
in the architecture of the United Nations, adapting
and preparing it for new times and new challenges.
However, the reform of our Organization will never be
complete without Security Council reform, including of
its working methods and, above all, of its composition.
It is increasingly difficult to justify why countries such
as Brazil and India are not permanent members of the
Security Council. As stated on previous occasions,
Portugal is of the view that Africa also deserves
permanent representation in that body. It is imperative
that Africa be treated in a way that is just and reflects its
size, economic growth and its weight in today’s world.

I take this opportunity to congratulate the African
Union and its member States on the fiftieth anniversary
of the continent’s regional organization.

Portugal firmly believes in multilateralism and in
the United Nations as the centre for harmonizing the
actions of nations in the attainment of common ends.
We contribute actively to the work of our Organization
through a committed participation in its bodies, but we

have not yet had a chance to serve on the Human Rights
Council. We therefore hope to be able to count on the
support of the Assembly in the elections for that body
to take place in 2014. We accept and have implemented
virtually all of the 86 recommendations that resulted
from our experience in the Council’s universal periodic
review (UPR) of 2009. We will submit to a new UPR
in 2014.

If the Assembly invests its trust in us to elect us to
serve for the 2015-2017 triennium, we will fulfil our
mandate in the deep conviction that the United Nations
human-rights-protection system should remain strong,
independent, impartial and demanding, and that, in
this regard, we should always resolve to aim higher.
We will continue in the same vein as we approached
our membership of the Security Council in 2011-
2012, characterized by openness to dialogue and by a
constructive and balanced attitude, and seeking to build
bridges and generate consensus, without relinquishing
values and fundamental principles.

The Portuguese language is the common element of
unity that brings together the diversity of States of the
Community of Portuguese-speaking Countries. We are
a Community of eight countries, with about 250 million
speakers spread across four continents. Portuguese is
the third most widely spoken European language in the
world, with a growing role and status on the international
scene, both as a vehicle of communication and as an
economic language used in trade and business, culture
and social networks.

In October, Lisbon will host the second conference
on the status of the Portuguese language in the
international system, at which participants will consider
the challenges faced by their common language.
Portuguese is currently the official or working language
of several international organizations, including some
specialized agencies of the United Nations. The CPLP
has the ambition and goal of seeing Portuguese adopted
as an official language of the United Nations. I take
this opportunity to salute the Mozambican presidency
of the CPLP and its efforts to strengthen and deepen
our Community.

I conclude by wishing the greatest success for the
General Assembly at this session. The Assembly can
count on Portugal’s active contribution and support in
upholding international law, promoting the peaceful
settlement of disputes, defending and promoting human
rights, and working towards greater prosperity for all of
humankind.


It is an honour, Mr. President, for me to address the
General Assembly. Things have changed since I was first
here, and not only because time has passed and we have
all become a little older — not that old age is a problem.
The problem is how we approach it and, indeed, how we
approach disability. That is why Ecuador believes that,
in the context of the 2015 and post-2015 development
agenda, we should include quantitative targets with
measurable goals for persons with disabilities, together
with international cooperation. Let us never again
adopt a development agenda that fails to take account
of persons with disabilities and their families. We must
take specific measures to incorporate disability at
the global, regional and national levels with a view to
achieving verifiable results.

As I was saying, things have changed since my first
visit to the General Assembly Hall. Many words have
reverberated within its walls, and ended up who knows
where. Much has been said, and perhaps even the
most patient among us is becoming a little exhausted.
Our address, which may contain many impromptu
comments, states things as we find them. I see, as others
perhaps have, that every day it is becoming increasingly
difficult to reach this colourful, cosmopolitan city. I do
not think that is what its inhabitants want, for with their
clamour they seem to be celebrating the diversity of the
world that is characteristic of New York. It is in fact the
bureaucrats that put obstacles in our way, drawing lines
that are frequently difficult to cross.

What shall we do in future years in the face of the
obstacles that sometimes isolate the United Nations
Headquarters? How can we, with the agreement of
all, ensure that the Charter of the United Nations is

respected? The host country, which is well aware how
diverse the Organization is, wants to be the sole arbiter
of who can come and who cannot, on the basis of its
own likes and dislikes.

That very powerful State has also taken it upon
itself to spy on us, on the pretext of safeguarding its own
security. It is true that human beings everywhere have
lived through times of fear and terror. There is good
reason to be vigilant. But the history of humankind,
and consequently of the Organization, is in part the
recording of an evolution in the rights of every one of
us. We have been building and reinforcing rights that
we consider to already have been established, such as
the privacy and inviolability of communications. It is
therefore regrettable that, at a time when technological
advances have enabled every man and every woman
to communicate with every other man and every other
woman throughout the world, an Administration has set
up a global surveillance system that knows no borders,
that does not differentiate between friends and enemies
and that fails to distinguish between criminals and law-
abiding citizens.

Let us be frank: it is not the existence of a system
that intrudes upon the private life of every person in
the world that surprises us. We all in fact suspected
that such a system existed. No, it is its sheer scope
that confounds us — a global espionage system
that knows no limits, without even respect for the
bounds of common decency, and without regard for
the sovereignty of States and the right to privacy and
freedom of expression of all citizens.

It cannot be denied that the bonds of trust between
States and Governments, which underpin negotiations,
among other things, and effective agreements to combat
international organized crime, including terrorism, have
been seriously compromised by the unrestrained actions
of the United States, which has taken it upon itself to spy
on our communications. Many of the countries affected
have requested, on behalf of their Governments and
citizens, that the United States Government account
for its universal espionage programmes, but have not to
date received a satisfactory response.

On numerous occasions, we have heard the
representatives of the United States Government
express to the United Nations their readiness to discuss
the issue. My delegation is willing to initiate such a
discussion forthwith, in a frank, clear and open fashion,
and believes that there is no better forum for doing
so than the Assembly and its Committees, without
excluding such other entities as the Human Rights
Council.

Because we believe that this is the forum in which
to defend the right of all peoples to be respected,
beginning with respect for their territorial integrity, we
are reitereating, for the umpteenth time, that the time
has come for the Israeli settlements to cease and for
Palestine to be respected and recognized within the
1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Along the same lines, we would like to make
a democratic appeal: 188 of the Organization’s 193
Member States have clearly stated that it is time to end
the unjust embargo that the United States has imposed
on Cuba. Cuba is part of the Bolivarian Alliance for
the Peoples of Our Americas. Cuba is a member State
of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean
States. Cuba is part of the international community,
and its people cannot continue to suffer the harmful
consequences of that embargo.

We also would like to reiterate our belief that
dialogue can resolve the Malvinas Islands conflict. The
United Kingdom must accede to what has been called
for at the United Nations so often, that is, to sit at the
negotiating table and leave the history of overseas
territories to the shameful past. The Malvinas lie
very close to Argentina, and quite far from the United
Kingdom.

Allow me briefly to mention that, in my country,
we have recognized the rights of nature. We have to
wager on different things. We must rein in the capacity
to devastate of those who want unlimited growth even
at the cost of ecological balances. Once disrupted,
nature itself will restore those balances and all of us
will be cast out, with not even a trace remaining of what
we arrogantly call civilization.

We have therefore decided to raise our voice
against the high-handedness of some multinational
firms — and in that regard have had the support of other
Governments — whose unbridled pursuit of unlimited
profit subjugates human beings for the sake of capital,
damages the environment and violates human rights, all
the while having us believe that it is possible to bring a
State and its people to its knees.

Ecuador has stood up to the defamatory campaign
of one such company. In 2011, Chevron was ordered
to pay $19 billion in response to the claim lodged by
30,000 inhabitants of my country who were affected by
the devastating pollution that firm left behind in the

Amazon. I should make it clear that it was not the State
of Ecuador that sued the corporation, it was our people.

We must also denounce the overwhelming statistics
showing how arbitration tribunals fail countries such
as mine, which, paradoxically, can serve to shed
light on the web of intersecting interests among
businesses, arbitrators and lawyers associated with
such tribunals. We in South America have undertaken
various initiatives, such as the establishment of a
dispute-settlement centre within the Union of South
American Nations. The centre will play a key role in
reconfiguring the balance between national public
interests and multinational private profits.

My country condemns the violence being
experienced in Syria, as well as serious violations of
international law and human rights, regardless of their
source. From the outset, Ecuador has argued that a
military solution is not a way out of the crisis in Syria.
We must always address armed conflicts head-on,
setting aside any manipulation in sole pursuit of outside
interests. We should allow comprehensive solutions
based on international law to bear fruit and flourish.

In that context, the situation in Syria, a millennial
nation facing a terrible period, deserves our sincere
and sustained attention, for hundreds of thousands of
human lives have been lost and thousands of others
constantly confront danger.

Ecuador welcomes as a positive step Syria’s recent
accession to the Convention on the Prohibition of the
Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of
Chemical Weapons and on Their Destruction. We look
forward to the final results of the investigations by the
United Nations on all claims of chemical weapons in
Syria, because only on the basis of those results can
the international community be confident of having a
sufficiently broad and much more credible overview.

As an executive member of the Organization for the
Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, Ecuador joined the
consensus on the adoption of the decision on chemical
weapons in the Syrian Arab Republic. We did so because
we believed that decision reflected the endeavours of
the international community to preserve peace, defend
the lives of Syrian citizens and move towards a political
solution to the crisis.

We also note, and we consider it very important,
that the Security Council’s decision should not be
interpreted by any State as a justification for unilateral
action that violates international law, which prohibits
the use or the threat of the use of force and calls for
respect for the sovereignty, independence and territorial
integrity of States. As a State party to the Chemical
Weapons Convention, we condemn the use of chemical
weapons in the Syrian Arab Republic by any party. We
also reiterate the obligation of States to refrain from
providing any type of military support to non-State
actors.

Those are some of the topics that cause us major
concern. There will be more, voiced by others, so
that we can ultimately approach the world with hope
and restore our human capacity to be able to continue
believing in what inspired the establishment of the
United Nations: dialogue for the sake of peace, as well
as democracy, justice, inclusion and equality and as an
antidote to war.


I would
like first of all to warmly congratulate Mr. John Ashe,
President of the General Assembly at its sixty-eighth
session, and his predecessor Mr. Vuk Jeremi. on their
excellent work. I would also like to commend our
Secretary-General, Mr. Ban Ki-moon, for the steady
enhancement of the role and status of the United
Nations under his leadership.

The designation of the post-2015 development
agenda as the central theme not only of this general
debate but also for this entire session is a timely reminder
of the role of the United Nations in promoting peace
and prosperity throughout the world, for the benefit
of all humankind. Indeed, more than ever before, we
need the visionary role of the United Nations in order
to face up to the ills besetting humankind. The growing
challenges arising from our increased interdependence
are exacerbated by a multidimensional crisis that
adversely affects our economies and governance and
has disastrous social and humanitarian consequences.
The only worthy response to the upheaval and dangers
of our day is a determined quest for peace, justice and
solidarity, in order to build with confidence that better
future that we must bequeath to future generations.

Consideration of the post-2015 agenda warrants
a serious relaunching of the debate on development
issues, particularly in terms of the elimination of
poverty, a phenomenon that continues not only to
affect the dignity of millions of human beings but also
to threaten their lives. The international community
should be primarily concerned at the lack of significant
progress in its fight against poverty.

Overcoming poverty is a long-standing endeavour
that requires appropriate public policies coupled with
effective international cooperation and consistent
productive flows of investment, as well as greater
complementarity between the United Nations and the
Bretton Woods institutions, with a view to exploiting
synergies in the context of the peace-security-
development triad. That means that new objectives for
2030 must be part of a global integral approach that
reflects the disparities among regions, an improvement
of the balance between urban and rural development,
the strengthening of the capacities of poor people,
good governance, the fight against corruption and the

protection of the environment. In fact, it is a question
of reaching an ambitious global agreement for the
promotion of sustainable development containing
commitments stemming from the principle of shared
but differentiated responsibility, in particular for the
mobilization of the financing needed for capacity-
building and the transfer of know-how and technology.

Under its 2010-2014 five-year plan, Algeria is
implementing a human development strategy that sets
forth ambitious policies to promote social justice and
balanced regional preparations, within a framework
of strict resource management, where the education,
health, housing and infrastructure sectors continue to
be given priority, backed by investment in economic
growth. Those extensive efforts are naturally supported
at the international level by multifaceted assistance to
countries affected by crises and natural disasters and
by the effective integration of debt relief for the poorest
countries in Africa and other parts of the world.

At the same time, Algeria is projecting its own
development in the context of the historic coherence of
the great Arab Maghreb Union project that the peoples
of the region aspire to profoundly. That overall initiative
came from the agenda of the President of the Republic,
Mr. Abdelaziz Bouteflika, and is aimed at making all
Algerian men and women free from fear and need.

The celebration this year of the fiftieth anniversary
of the Organization of African Unity-African Union
under the theme of “African Renaissance” is an
important milestone in the rise of our continent on
the stage of history, giving us grounds for hope and
ambition, as well as promises of African solutions for
the problems of Africa, with the assistance of the rest
of the international community. Algeria is participating
in that shared destiny of the African peoples, and
we welcome and are gratified by the progress made
towards the recovery and economic development of the
continent and the considerable rates of growth that have
been recorded. We are also gratified at Africa’s steady
progress towards conflict prevention and settlement.

We also welcome the achievements of good
governance, human rights and pluralist democracy.
Algeria is particularly delighted at the liberation of the
regions in the north of Mali from the claws of terrorist
and criminal groups as well as the restoration of the
constitutional order in this fraternal country with the
clear success of the presidential elections.

Algeria, which remains the target of international
terrorism — as we were reminded by the violent
terrorist attack carried out against the Tiguentourine
gas complex early this year — is making an effective
contribution to the joint efforts to promote collective
security in the Sahelo-Saharan region as well as in the
rest of Africa and beyond. Whether it is a question of
Somalia, Darfur, relations between the Sudan and South
Sudan, the Great Lakes region, the Central African
Republic or efforts to restore constitutional order in a
number of brotherly countries, Algeria is harmoniously
blending its voice and efforts with those of the African
Union.

Algeria, which is resolutely committed to the
right of peoples to self-determination, supports the
intensification of the efforts of the Personal Envoy of the
Secretary-General for Western Sahara, Mr. Christopher
Ross, to prevail on the two parties to the conflict — the
Kingdom of Morocco and the Polisario Front — to
agree in negotiations on the lifting of all obstacles, so
that the people of Western Sahara can freely determine
their own future.

Algeria is naturally supportive of the Arab
peoples, who are experiencing difficult transitions and
are confronting multiple challenges in a particularly
delicate phase of democratic and socioeconomic
transformation. We encourage the promotion of
political solutions to governance crises as well as the
management by consensus of these critical transitional
periods. Clearly, military solutions are neither possible
nor desirable in the context of the polarization of
societies and the exacerbation of partisan interests and
dissent.

Algeria reaffirms its rejection of the threat or use
of weapons of mass destruction. In that regard, we
categorically condemn the use of chemical weapons in
the Syrian conflict, regardless of who the perpetrators
were or the circumstances. In welcoming the initiative
of the Russian Federation and the Russian-American
agreement as well as the adherence of Syria to the
Chemical Weapons Convention, Algeria calls for the
creation of political momentum towards the holding of
the Geneva II conference and the attainment of a political
solution among the parties in Syria. We reiterate our
encouragement and support for Mr. Lakhdar Brahimi
as he leads those praiseworthy peace efforts.

In a Middle East mired in dangers and crises, a just
settlement of the question of Palestine remains at the

heart of any serious effort to stabilize the region. While
welcoming the efforts of the United States, which led
to a resumption of negotiations, Algeria expresses the
hope that the international community can redouble its
efforts for the rapid establishment of an internationally
recognized Palestinian State within the borders of June
1967, with Al-Quds as its capital.

The legitimacy of the United Nations must be
strengthened and its role enhanced, and to that end its
reform must not be unduly delayed. We must ensure that
the General Assembly remains participatory in nature
and must increase the economic, social, humanitarian
and environmental functions of the programmes,
entities and agencies of the United Nations system.
We must also agree on a democratic reform of the
Security Council that covers its working methods and
its composition and ensures equitable representation,
taking into particular account the African States’
Ezulwini Consensus.

The United Nations must be heeded when, from
within the democratic framework of the General
Assembly, it issues statements of strong positions that
reflect the universal conscience, whether it is a question
of strengthening the foundations of international
humanitarian law and protecting civilians or specific
situations, such as the long overdue lifting of the
economic blockade that has been imposed on Cuba for
decades now and the current one imposed on the Gaza
Strip. The will of the international community that is so
often reiterated here must prevail.

Algeria is working within the organizations and
groups to which it belongs and with its other partners
towards the elimination of the many obstacles to
building peaceful, well-balanced and just international
relations. We are nurturing the virtues of dialogue,
and we place our hopes in the Alliance of Civilization
and mutual respect among religions. Algeria is deeply
dedicated to the heritage of the values shared by all
humankind, beginning with the sacred nature, value
and dignity of human beings and the promotion and
protection of all human rights.

It is this commitment that inspires Algeria’s
candidature for a seat on the Human Rights Council
for the 2014-2016 period. This year marks the twentieth
anniversary of the Vienna Declaration and Programme
of Action, and Algeria, moved by a high sense of
responsibility, would like to dedicate itself to improving
the effectiveness of the Council, strengthening the
universal and interdependent nature of human rights
and mobilizing the international community in this
lofty collective endeavour.

As a member of the Council, Algeria will share its
experience in human rights and in the rights of peoples.
We will endeavour to improve our own performance
by, inter alia, adapting our national legislation and
harmonizing it with the relevant international treaties
and promoting the inclusion of all segments of society,
including women, who now comprise 31 per cent of the
deputies elected to the People’s National Assembly last
year. All of these factors make Algeria a good candidate
for the Human Rights Council and have won it the
support of the League of Arab States, the Organization
of Islamic Cooperation and the African Union.

Almost 40 years ago, in 1974, President Abdelaziz
Bouteflika, who was at that time Minister for Foreign
Affairs of Algeria and President of the General
Assembly at its twenty-ninth session, made significant
history here by putting an end to the usurpation of the
people of South Africa’s representation by the apartheid
regime and by welcoming to this Hall for the first time
the Palestine Liberation Organization, thus opening
up two significant paths towards peace. Since then,
prodigious advances in science and technology, which
have increased the power of humankind over nature,
and changes in the very fabric of the international
community have only increased the expectations of our
peoples, for whom the United Nations remains the best
refuge. May God inspire us to work in the best interests
of our countries and our peoples.


On behalf of
the Philippine Government, I proffer my warmest
congratulations to the President on his election. I wish
him success and assure him of my country’s steadfast
support for his presidency.

The theme that has been selected for this session
is indeed timely and relevant. We must start setting
the stage for the new development agenda that will
succeed the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)
framework. Barely two years before its deadline,
considerable work still lies ahead of us. For instance, the
global economic and financial crisis has underscored
the need for reform towards greater systemic
coherence; the multilateral trading system remains
frozen in the past; and the persistence of an outdated
development paradigm results in policy prescriptions
and conditionalities inimical to the interests of many
developing countries.

As we set the stage for the post-2015 framework, let
us reaffirm the very raison d’être of the United Nations,
which is to accord every person the opportunity at a life
that is secure, progressive and dignified. That purpose
is enshrined in the Philippine Constitution and is central
to President Benigno Aquino III’s social contract
with the Filipino people. Under President Aquino’s
leadership, my country has embarked on a journey
along a straight path — or, as we say in Filipino, “daang
matuwid” — resolving to work towards inclusive
growth, combating corruption, promoting transparency
and accountability, improving global competitiveness,
making better use of resources, achieving just and
lasting peace, and upholding the rule of law.

The Aquino Administration firmly maintains that
good governance is good economics. As a result, the
Philippines is reaping the first fruits of its hard work.
In the past four quarters, the Philippine economy has
experienced unprecedented growth of over 7 per cent.
As a result, the Philippines won three investment-grade
ratings and is now considered a growth engine in the
region.

These glowing reports are, of course, well received
by my Government, but we are under no illusion that
these indicators alone constitute success. For the past
13 years, the MDGs have been integrated into the
Philippine development plan for 2011-2016. Yet our
work continues and the challenge we now face is clear.
It is how to ensure that growth is inclusive, resilient and
sustainable. As we pursue the path towards this very type
of growth, my Government is guided by the following
important lessons learned from our experience in
working towards the Millennium Development Goals.

First, strong institutional arrangements are
necessary. For the Philippines, that means that the
highest political support is given to the attainment of
the MDGs, involving all branches of Government and
other key stakeholders.

Secondly, specific policies, programmes and
projects must be aligned with national development
goals. In our MDG experience, innovative social
protection programmes include conditional cash
transfers, universal health care, the comprehensive
and integrated delivery of social services, a K-12 basic
education programme, and a community mortgage
programme.

Thirdly, the active participation of various
stakeholders — namely, the private sector, civil society,
non-governmental organizations, the constituents and
international development partners — must be strongly
promoted and supported. This ensures that policies and
programmes are responsive and inclusive.

Fourthly, local Government units should be
empowered. Beyond the delivery of basic social
services, the capacities of local Government units in
formulating and implementing policies and programmes
must be strengthened and guided by the principles of
transparency and accountability.

Fifthly, the capability to generate accurate, timely
and relevant data at the national and local levels must
be enhanced.

Sixthly, disaster risk reduction must be
mainstreamed to enable communities to better cushion
the impact of man-made and natural disasters. Building
the capacities of national and local stakeholders to help
reduce the vulnerability and increase the physical and
economic resilience of communities must be a key
development goal.

These important elements will further enrich the
United Nations Development Assistance Framework
2012-2018 for the Philippines. With the overall theme
“Supporting inclusive, sustainable and resilient
development”, the United Nations Development
Assistance Framework seeks to fully align United
Nations work with the Philippine Development Plan
2011-2016.

My Government is actively participating in the
international discourse on sustainable development
and in crafting the post-2015 development agenda. The
Philippines was one of 66 countries chosen by the United
Nations to conduct open, inclusive and transparent
consultations with a broad range of stakeholders
aimed at generating perspectives on how the post-2015
development agenda framework should look. We took
to this task earnestly by undertaking consultations
with more than 500 stakeholders representing the
Government, civil society, the business community and
academia.

Our national consultations on the post-2015
development agenda have identified the following
building blocks of the new framework, as well as
the development themes deemed most relevant to the
Philippines. These building blocks are composed of
four principles, five themes and various development
enablers, and were offered to the United Nations
system as the Philippines’ contribution to the ongoing
discourse.

We need look no further than the United Nations
Charter to identify the building blocks for the global
post-2015 development agenda. For this agenda to be
relevant and responsive, it must be anchored in four
main principles: human rights; equality, equity, people
empowerment, social cohesion and justice; accountable
governance; and inclusive development.

My country has identified five pillars that we believe
will address our own specific development challenges.
These pillars represent the areas where progress is most
needed to build a rights-based, equitable and sustainable
society. These pillars are poverty reduction and social
inclusion; environmental sustainability, climate change
and disaster risk management; accountable, responsive
and participatory governance; a fair and stable order
based on the international rule of law; and peace and
security.

My Government will formulate and implement
policies that will be defined by these pillars. These

policies will duly be integrated into my country’s
national development agenda, and progress will be
monitored at regular intervals. On the global front, the
Philippines proposes that the duration of the post-2015
development agenda should be 10 years, with a major
review to be undertaken by 2020. Reforms should be
front-loaded within the first half of the period to pave
the way for substantive accomplishments by 2020.

Allow me to further elaborate on aspects of the
principles and themes the Philippines has put forward.
The Philippines continues to aspire to a global
economic system that places development at the centre
and promotes democracy in international economic
decision-making. Ultimately, it behoves us to consider
reform of the overall global economic system as we
craft a sound, sustainable development agenda.

To achieve meaningful reform, what we need now
is a strong political impetus from all of us to make
this happen. Governments must see beyond political
differences and agree to work together to ensure a
level global playing field. It is for this reason that the
Philippines staunchly supports the High-level Political
Forum on sustainable development goals.

The post-2015 development agenda should squarely
address migration. It is a cross-cutting issue relevant
to our efforts to promote human rights, reduce poverty
and foster sustainable development. The Philippines,
for its part, will continue to advocate the protection of
the rights of migrants, regardless of migration status;
the recognition of migrants’ positive contribution to
development in the sending and receiving countries
alike; and the creation of programmes that support
families, especially the children who are left behind.

Our national experience of these issues will be
my Government’s contribution to the discussion in
the forthcoming High-level Dialogue on International
Migration and Development later this week. In
addition, we hope to include in the discussion the plight
of migrants who find themselves in conflict areas — a
situation that my Government has had to address in
recent years. In several instances, we have repatriated
Filipino workers to get them out of harm’s way.

Our experience has been instructive and enriching,
as it has opened for us new windows of cooperation
with our bilateral partners, as well as with the United
Nations, the International Organization for Migration
and other international organizations. My Government
wants to focus international discussion on the plight of
these migrants, with a view to forging creative platforms
on which States — whether countries of origin, transit
or destination — can cooperate to better address this
complex issue.

The Philippines hopes that the High-level Dialogue
will reaffirm that migration is an indispensable
element in the global sustainable development agenda.
Migration influences each country’s socioeconomic
growth, human capital and involvement in global
affairs. Managing migration through policies that
uphold the dignity of the individual should therefore be
a vital component in the development agenda of each
nation and of the world.

Achieving sustainable development requires
an enabling environment of peace, security and the
rule of law. It is to this end that my Government’s
approach in managing conflicts within and outside
its borders is anchored in international law. As such,
we avail ourselves of the various means for the
peaceful settlement of disputes, including mediation
and arbitration, in accordance with Chapter VI of the
United Nations Charter.

As declared by the General Assembly in its
resolution 37/10, on the peaceful settlement of
international disputes, otherwise known as the 1982
Manila Declaration, recourse to the judicial settlement
of legal disputes should not be considered an unfriendly
act between States. On the contrary, it is a measure that
generates clarity, benefiting all stakeholders. In this
spirit, my country reaffirms its unwavering support
for the International Court of Justice and the various
specialized tribunals, such as the dispute settlement
mechanisms of the World Trade Organization and the
United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

The Philippines has also relentlessly and tirelessly
pursued the peace process in the southern Philippines.
The signing of the Framework Agreement on the
Bangsamoro was a milestone in this regard. We remain
steadfastly committed to achieving just and lasting
peace that will be inclusive for all.

Furthermore, in accordance with the application of
the rule of law and the peaceful settlement of disputes,
the Philippines, as a State party to the Chemical
Weapons Convention and a staunch advocate of
disarmament and the non-proliferation of weapons of
mass destruction, also welcomes Syria’s accession to
the Treaty. The Philippines hopes that the Organization
for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons will

effectively assist the Syrian Government in disposing
of its chemical weapons stockpiles.

The Philippine Government’s commitment to
peace is resolute. This commitment is demonstrated
in its continued participation in United Nations
peacekeeping missions, particularly in the United
Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) in
the occupied Golan where, despite the dangers, our
peacekeepers have stood their ground. Their courage to
stay and hold the line at the most critical time led to the
continued fulfilment of UNDOF’s mandate as charged
by the Security Council.

The post-2015 development agenda also demands
that Governments address the devastating effects of
climate change and natural disasters. My country
is among those at highest risk from typhoons,
earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and tsunamis. In terms
of disaster management, my Government has instituted
a cluster model that mobilizes both Government and
non-governmental entities at the local and national
levels, as well as international partners. The United
Nations has recognized this model as a best practice
that other countries could emulate. We will continue
to share our knowledge and experience in disaster-
risk reduction, preparedness, response and recovery to
help other States better manage similar occurrences.
In 2015, we will also actively participate in the World
Humanitarian Summit and in the review of the Hyogo
Framework for Action, our blueprint for disaster risk
reduction cooperation.

The year 2015 marks an important juncture in the
history of nations. It will mark the beginning of a new
era of sustainable development, one, it is hoped, that
gives every individual on this planet a better chance
at a better quality of life. That may sound ambitious;
it may even sound daunting. Yet, this is an historic
time and historic times call for acts of great ambition.
Our national hero, Mr. José Rizal, also recognized the
importance of ambition and ideals. He wrote that

“it is a useless life that is not consecrated to a great
ideal. It is like a stone wasted on the field without
becoming a part of any edifice”.
Let the post-2015 development agenda be the edifice
upon which we will manifest the collective dreams and
ideals of humankind.