Equatorial Guinea

Mr. President of the Seventy-eighth Regular Session of the General Assembly of the United Nations; Excellencies, Heads of State and Government and Heads of Delegation; Mr. Secretary-General; Distinguished Delegates; Ladies and Gentlemen:

On behalf of and representing His Excellency Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, President of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea, allow me first to congratulate His Excellency Mr. Dennis Francis on his unanimous election as President of this Seventy-eighth Session of the General Assembly, and the members of the Bureau.

We assure him with absolute certainty that he will have the support and cooperation of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea throughout his presidency. Likewise, we congratulate His Excellency Mr. Csaba Kőrösi, the outgoing President, whose presidency was marked by very important resolutions that reflect the brilliant leadership and remarkable dynamism he was able to bring to his tenure.

We congratulate His Excellency Mr. António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, for the commendable work he is carrying out on so many fronts in favor of development and human dignity. We encourage him to continue strengthening even further the bonds of cooperation and coordination between the United Nations and the African Union on one hand, and between the two Security and Peace and Security Councils on the other, especially regarding African issues on the Security Council's agenda, with a view to aligning its decisions with the positions of the African Union.

We wish to convey our fullest expression of solidarity to the Kingdom of Morocco and to the State of Libya for the tragedies that these two brotherly countries have recently experienced, causing numerous losses of human life and the destruction of considerable infrastructure.

Mr. President; Excellencies; Ladies and Gentlemen:

Indeed, as the theme of this Seventy-eighth Regular Session of the General Assembly states, "Rebuilding trust and reigniting global solidarity: Accelerating action on the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals towards peace, prosperity, progress and sustainability for all."

Indeed, we commend the relevance of this theme, as it fits perfectly within the current context of the most pressing problems the world is currently facing, including, among others, armed conflicts, the exacerbation of the existence of armed groups, the real threat of terrorism and mercenarism, climate change, the prospect of new health crises, the economic and financial crisis, as well as the food crisis that is liable to cause famine in various countries.

It is in this sense that the moment is so decisive and determining that it demands that world leaders seek lasting, consensual, transformative, and sustainable solutions to these interconnected challenges that negatively impact all continents of the planet in a cross-cutting manner.

We live in a globalized world, and it is therefore to be expected that we forge partnerships of collaboration and mutual support through frank and inclusive dialogue in order to peacefully resolve current conflicts, inequalities, and our differences.

We call for the need and importance of giving greater priority to multilateralism and international cooperation, so necessary to address the global challenges currently facing humanity as a whole.

Mr. President; Excellencies; Ladies and Gentlemen:

Once again we come before this Assembly to denounce and condemn the interference of certain countries and the exploitation of our natural resources, which continue to be a determining factor causing underdevelopment, conflicts and instabilities, as well as the very worrying and increasingly grave situation faced by the countries of the Sahel, as well as other regions of the African continent, with very negative implications for their development.

Africa deserves priority attention in initiatives for development support and financing, with a decisive materialization of financing commitments for Sustainable Development, for the implementation of the objectives contained in the 2030 Agenda, leaving no one behind, in order to overcome all the phenomena that constitute obstacles to Africa's development.

We express our deep concern over the chronic crises suffered by Haiti, which is currently besieged by a gang of criminals inflicting enormous harm on the population. To this end, Equatorial Guinea proposes the holding of a United Nations Conference for Haiti, in order to analyze this situation in depth and find a sustainable and lasting solution.

Equatorial Guinea insistently reiterates the need to reform the United Nations system, including the Security Council, which today represents one of the great injustices and constitutes a serious failure in the application of international law.

The African Continent remains a victim of the historical injustice of being the only continent without permanent representation on the Security Council, despite the fact that most of the matters on this decision-making body's agenda concern Africa.

Africa, within the framework of the Ezulwini Consensus and the Sirte Declaration, has been demanding the correction of this injustice for more than fifteen years; that is, allocating to Africa two permanent seats and two additional non-permanent seats on the Security Council.

Mr. President, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen:

In this increasingly globalized and interdependent world where no one can walk alone, we express our resounding rejection of the imposition of unilateral coercive measures that violate the principles and purposes of the Charter of the United Nations and international law, and we urge States to refrain from enacting and applying them, since they constitute a serious obstacle to the development of States, especially developing countries.

We once again raise our voice for the immediate lifting of the commercial, economic, and financial embargo imposed against the Republic of Cuba several decades ago. This brotherly country deserves the opportunity to take its place in the global context as a sovereign nation.

Mr. President; Excellencies; Ladies and Gentlemen:

Before concluding, I would like to inform you that the Government of Equatorial Guinea has devised the 2035 Strategic Plan for economic diversification, and we hope our partners will join us in implementing this Plan; to that end, we extend an invitation to businessmen from all friendly and brotherly countries to come and invest in our attractive national market.

I also take this opportunity to express our gratitude for the support, assistance, and solidarity that some countries and international organizations offered to the Republic of Equatorial Guinea in combating the Marburg epidemic.

Our determination to address pressing issues, from climate change to peace, security, and development, remains firm. I have no doubt that, with a true spirit of solidarity, there will be no difficulty we cannot overcome for the good of our planet and its peoples.

Thank you very much.