Mozambique

Her Excellency Madam President of the Eightieth Session of the United Nations General Assembly; His Excellency Mr. Secretary-General of the United Nations; Their Excellencies Heads of State and Government; Distinguished Heads of Delegations; Ladies and Gentlemen!

1. It is a profound honor for us to address, for the first time, as President of the Republic of Mozambique, this August Assembly, at a moment of multiple significance, both for Mozambique and for the Organization itself: we are celebrating 50 years of our national independence, 50 years of our admission as a full Member of the United Nations, and the 80th anniversary of this Organization.

2. Thus, we would like to greet and congratulate Madam President, Her Excellency Annalena Baerbock, on the Presidency of the Eightieth Session, as well as to commend the work of the outgoing President, His Excellency Philémon Yang.

3. We could not fail to pay tribute to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Engineer António Guterres, for his tireless advocacy in defense of multilateralism, for the attention dedicated to Africa's priorities, and for the vision of launching the UN80 Initiative.

4. Today, 80 years since its creation, we witness with satisfaction the progress that the United Nations has helped to achieve. The independence of Mozambique, as well as that of many African countries and of other continents, is but one of many pieces of evidence of this legacy.

5. Despite the multiple challenges the UN faces, it remains steadfast in leading global processes; therefore we emphasize: any reform effort aimed at making it more attuned and with greater capacity to respond to contemporary realities will only be complete when it unequivocally includes the reform of the Security Council.

Excellencies,

6. The year 2025 has tested the limits of multilateralism, with the United Nations at its epicenter.

7. We are witnessing the intensification and escalation of conflicts and a growing sense of impunity. Ongoing conflicts in various corners of the world and prolonged crises remind us that the promise to "save succeeding generations from the scourge of war," inscribed in the 1945 Charter, remains unfulfilled.

8. Eighty years of building multilateral institutions, safeguards and principles that have governed global affairs, are now at risk.

9. The result is evident: wars multiply, the climate crisis worsens, debts increase, tariffs rise, disillusionment spreads and, above all, the nuclear specter returns.

10. To these threats are added the economic consequences of successive crises: from the COVID-19 pandemic to the war in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, from rising commodity prices to financial volatility. All of this generates unsustainable debts and ever deeper inequalities.

11. We are also witnessing a worrying regression in internationally agreed commitments. With only five years remaining until 2030, the Agenda for Sustainable Development is at risk.

12. And the climate crisis accelerates and intensifies all the others: droughts turn into famine, cyclones into humanitarian catastrophes, displacement into despair, and this despair is exploited by unscrupulous actors.

13. It was in this context that the historic advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice, of 23 July 2025, unequivocally reaffirmed that States have binding legal obligations to protect the climate and the environment from greenhouse gas emissions. This is a milestone of universal scope.

14. For countries like Mozambique, which have no historical responsibility for the climate crisis, but are among those most affected by its consequences, this decision is more than a legal principle: it is a call to climate justice, to global solidarity and to immediate action.

15. To the environmental crisis is added the technological challenge.

16. Artificial Intelligence and other emerging technologies offer extraordinary opportunities, but also serious risks of exclusion, manipulation and even militarization, through autonomous weapons.

17. These advances pose new challenges to the defense of human dignity, justice and labor.

18. As long as we do not fully understand how these models function, we cannot entrust them with critical missions without robust safeguards.

19. That is why Mozambique advocates for a technological and climate diplomacy, capable of regulating risks and democratizing benefits, through a genuine transfer and sharing of knowledge and technologies, so that science and technology are not factors of exclusion but instruments of climate justice and inclusive development.

20. Faced with these interconnected challenges, our continent, Africa, can and must assume an active role in defining international norms and standards, in formulating principles of scientific ethics, and in determining research priorities, ensuring that technological innovation is always at the service of humanity.

Madam President,

21. In the face of these crises, the path is not isolation. It is constructive dialogue and the strengthening of multilateralism.

22. The Pact for the Future, adopted in 2024, offers concrete and innovative responses for the relaunching of a multilateralism suited to the challenges of the 21st century.

23. Mozambique, an African country, endowed with vast natural resources and unmatched cultural wealth, has distinguished itself in promoting and strengthening democracy on the continent.

24. Since we advanced with political pluralism, we have worked tirelessly to consolidate the foundations of a robust democratic system, holding regular and transparent elections, reflecting the popular will and ensuring that every citizen has a voice and participation in the decisions that shape the future of our nation. Indeed, our presence on this podium is the result of a process of free and transparent choice by the Mozambican people.

25. We have historically maintained a continuous commitment to dialogue and to building bridges between different political and social actors. This commitment to dialogue was crucial to the lasting peace achieved after decades of conflict and to the political stability we enjoy today.

26. At present, Mozambique stands out for its continuous effort to promote an Inclusive National Dialogue, whose public consultation phase we launched on 10 September. We are working so that all sectors of society, regardless of their origin or political, social or economic position, are heard and have their concerns considered in major national decisions. This process will not only strengthen democracy, but will also ensure that the country's development is truly a reflection of the needs and aspirations of all Mozambicans, without exception.

27. We believe that the true strength of a nation lies not only in its ability to resolve conflicts, but in its ability to manage them peacefully and constructively. We are proud of the path we have taken so far and reaffirm our commitment to continue advancing as an example of democracy and peaceful coexistence on the African continent and in the world.

28. We are equally proud to have promoted, during our term on the Security Council, the Presidential Declaration on the role of Africa in global affairs, as well as to have contributed to the historic Resolution 2719 (2023), which opened the way for the possibility of predictable and sustainable financing of African Union peace support operations, through United Nations assessed contributions. These milestones confirm that Africa is not merely a beneficiary of the multilateral order, but an indispensable actor in its reform and revitalization.

29. It is along this path that Mozambique will continue to advocate for:

• A strengthened African voice, with two permanent seats on the Security Council and greater weight in the decisions of international financial institutions;
• A New Global Financial Architecture, capable of relieving debt, mobilizing resources for sustainable development and climate action, as well as correcting historical asymmetries;
• An inclusive multilateralism, that preserves the intergovernmental character of the UN, without allowing it to become an assembly of shareholders dominated by the wealthiest.

30. We also reiterate our defense of the two-State solution for Palestine, living side by side, in peace and security with Israel, as the only just, legitimate and lasting path to the realization of the aspirations of both peoples. We commend the countries that have recently decided to recognize the State of Palestine, the same right recognized to Israel, thereby contributing to reinforcing the legitimacy and irreversibility of the two-State solution.

31. Likewise, we reaffirm our firm opposition to unilateral coercive measures, which continue to punish entire peoples, from Cuba to Venezuela, from Zimbabwe to other countries, in clear violation of the Charter of the United Nations and in contradiction with the principles of justice, solidarity and international law.

Ladies and Gentlemen!

32. The theme chosen for this Eightieth Session — "Better Together: 80 years and more for peace, development and human rights" — could not be more timely.

33. It is intrinsically linked to the events of this High-Level Week: the celebration of the Beijing Conference on Women, the Climate Summit, the First Biennial Summit for a Sustainable, Inclusive and Resilient Global Economy mandated by the Pact for the Future, the Celebration of Youth, the Elimination of Nuclear Weapons, and the meeting on global health and well-being.

34. All these gatherings reaffirm the vitality and centrality of the United Nations and convey a single truth: what unites us as humanity is far greater than what divides us. We are different peoples, but we share the same Earth; we profess different creeds, but we all aspire to the same dignity; we speak different languages, but we share a single destiny.

35. Today, the creed we need is not one of exclusion, but of inclusion; not of isolation, but of cooperation; not of unilateralism, but of a solidary multilateralism. We need renewed faith in humanity's collective capacity to face the common challenges of Gaia — our common home.

36. The world finds itself at a true turning point. Either we fulfill the 2030 Agenda, or we accept seeing it relegated to a broken promise. And in this, good will is not enough.

37. Honoring the principle of common but differentiated responsibility is sacrosanct. We need resources at the necessary scale, to work smarter, to align mandates with national priorities, to invest in data, technology and institutional capacities and, above all, to ensure that Africa has a full seat in the decisions that shape its future.

38. Mozambique's message is clear: we want partnerships based on mutual respect and shared value.

39. Paraphrasing the late President Samora Machel: "International solidarity is not an act of charity; it is an act of unity between allies."

40. The eightieth anniversary of the United Nations invites us to renew that spirit of solidarity. The challenges before us are enormous, but we are, indeed, better together.

41. And if it is true that each generation inherits the world from the previous one, it is also true that each generation has the duty to pass on a better world to the next. This is the guiding thread of the 2030 Agenda, it is the spirit of the Pact for the Future, and it is the reason for being of this Organization: to transform hope into action, and solidarity into concrete results.

42. May we have the courage to reform, the wisdom to learn from mistakes, and the determination to offer peace, development and human rights to all.

Mozambique counts on the UN, and the UN can count on Mozambique!

Thank you very much!