Sao Tome and Principe

Excellency the President of the General Assembly of the United Nations; Excellency the Secretary-General of the United Nations; Excellencies, Heads of State and Government; Excellencies, Representatives of Member States; Distinguished delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen,

In an international context marked by armed conflicts, climate disasters, growing tensions between States and an effective decline in public confidence in their representatives, it is with a great sense of responsibility that I address this august Assembly as Prime Minister and Head of Government of the Democratic Republic of Sao Tome and Principe.

I wish to pay respectful tribute to the victims of the recent earthquake in Morocco and the floods in Libya.

Allow me to take advantage of this seventy-eighth session of the general debate to congratulate Ambassador Dennis Francis on his election to the Presidency of this session and to express to him, from now on, our full support and cooperation throughout his mandate.

We also thank the outgoing President, Mr. Csaba Korosi, for the commitment with which he conducted the work of the previous session, particularly in the face of the complexity of new conflicts and the food crisis.

Mr. President, Excellencies, Heads of State and Government,

The theme chosen for this session, "Rebuilding trust and reigniting global solidarity" — I mean, "Unlocking the power of gender equality" — which we welcome, is all too relevant at a time when humanity is facing the reversal of progress in human development and the worsening of inequalities between regions of the world and within our respective States.

The Protocol on the Rights of Women in Africa, known as the Maputo Protocol, is celebrating its 20th anniversary, and we must acknowledge the persistence of an enormous deficit in terms of empowerment and equal opportunity, particularly with regard to women's participation in political decision-making bodies. We could also mention the Istanbul Convention, which, despite being binding on signatory States, is struggling to translate the Council of Europe's will into results.

This theme, like others, is a global objective that requires the commitment of the international community, governments, organizations, and civil society to create a fairer and more equitable world for all.

But faced with the persistent and growing challenges that remain, particularly regarding poverty, hunger, inequality and environmental issues, beyond our speeches we, as leaders of the various nations represented here, must question ourselves and acknowledge our failure to protect our planet and guarantee shared prosperity by 2030.

My country, a small island State enjoying an effective democracy for more than 30 years, and a developing country, is at the forefront of the victims of climate disruption, ecosystem degradation and economic dependency.

My country is experiencing a short-term economic and financial emergency, well known to our main partners, while going through a complex transition process toward middle-income development status, and pursuing a policy adapted to its reality, in respect of multicultural diversity and human rights.

We are striving, with some success, to adopt the codes, recommendations and good practices aimed at the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, but structural problems, asymmetries of all kinds, and the lack of confidence in democratic institutions on the part of our populations continue to grow.

We must not hesitate to point to those responsible for climate disruption within the G20 or the bodies of global economic governance who continue to disregard our social and environmental objectives, particularly by denying us access to financial resources in reasonable quantity and conditionality.

Even more worrying is the fact that we are witnessing an increasing polarization and fragmentation of the world and of global governance, with its growing share of populism and nationalism. Even digital technological society, which could have been an accelerator for the development of our countries and for citizen participation at the global level, is becoming a new source of inequality, concentration of wealth and domination.

Inequality, lack of respect, and the absence of inclusion can only lead to ever greater fractures and setbacks. Coups d'état and attempts to subvert constitutional order are becoming more frequent; long-standing conflicts such as those in Palestine or with Cuba persist, while those in Yemen, Syria, Sudan or Libya are following the same path.

Armed conflicts in violation of international law, whatever their nature, also receive differentiated treatment. Our condemnation of Russia's invasion of Ukraine has been clear and unhesitating, because we respect international law and the Charter of the United Nations.

Unfortunately, refugees and the dead are not equal in rights and dignity in a world that calls itself civilized. It would seem that only global pandemics are today capable of bringing us together and mobilizing us.

We are slow to react to impose peace in the face of the smoldering conflict situation in the Great Lakes region, while the toll of deaths, displaced persons and destruction of all kinds continues to worsen, and while international peace missions have shown their limits due to a lack of clear and effective commitments in favor of the populations who are the first victims.

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

It may be late, too late, but indifference and hypocrisy are unacceptable. Our problems as poor countries tend also to become the problems of rich countries: demographic disparity, economic disparity, climate deregulation, loss of institutional trust, among others. And there is hope of finding a new momentum by resolutely committing ourselves to the reform of our institutions, starting with the United Nations and the Bretton Woods Institutions, for a reinvented and more united multilateralism.

It is therefore our duty, as leaders, to cultivate an ability to articulate the solutions that are expected, capable of shedding light on the lives of so many human beings whose experience is nothing but a journey of suffering and uncertainty. True leadership means finding the necessary compromises; it means having the capacity to make peace and promote progress.

Excellencies,

As is often said, nature abhors a vacuum. And our rhetoric, our appeals, summit after summit, ring hollow and empty.

We are convinced that peaceful, equitable and sustainable societies, and well-educated, well-trained young people enjoying good health, are in the general interest, and that common sense must therefore prevail to prevent greater, unpredictable ruptures, since we have the technical, financial and human means to reform the international political system. The responsibility of the rich countries is engaged, but ours is not excluded either.

We reaffirm the firm commitment of the Democratic Republic of Sao Tome and Principe to work actively with its regional and international partners on all initiatives aimed at eradicating all inhumane and degrading acts against living beings and against the environment, and that undermine humanist values and freedom.

We deeply believe that our Organization is the center that brings together our causes, and the only entity whose role is to structure and systematize our common challenges and to lead the harmonization of our world, in respect of cultural differences, models and systems of government, and economic choices.

Mr. President, Excellencies, Heads of State and Government,

Before concluding, I would like to say how particularly grateful my country is to our Secretary-General, António Guterres, for his tireless efforts to strengthen the role of the United Nations in favor of peace, democracy and the protection of human life worldwide, and in the fight against poverty and climate change in all its forms.

His determination challenges us and compels us.

Thank you for your attention.