21 September 2023
(Note: Abridged version in the interest of the 15’ allocated time for delivery in the General Debate. The full version is available online and in hard copy)
Excelências,
Somos uma democracia jovem, imperfeita e vibrante, um Oásis de paz, tolerância e liberdade. Desde a independência em 2002, a nossa democracia tem evoluído, viva e dinâmica. O “Índice de Democracia” da revista The Economist classifica Timor-Leste como o país mais democrático do Sudeste Asiático; a organização Repórteres Sem Fronteiras, no seu mais recente “Índice Mundial de Liberdade de Imprensa”, classifica Timor-Leste em 10º lugar a nível mundial em termos de liberdade de imprensa.
Somos uma sociedade multicultural, multi-religiosa, multi-lingue e multi-étnica. Com humildade, continuamos a construir um país aberto ao mundo, tolerante, livre de ódio e de violência. Os nossos 98% de católicos praticantes vivem em harmonia com os nossos irmãos e irmãs protestantes e muçulmanos. Timor-Leste não tem violência política, nem tensões ou crimes com base étnica ou religiosa. Não temos crime organizado doméstico ou assalto à mão armada.
Apesar de uma diminuição significativa da pobreza, a pobreza multidimensional é ainda elevada, situando-se nos 45,8%, e ainda mais elevada entre as crianças. Tirar o nosso povo da pobreza extrema, da insegurança alimentar, da mortalidade neonatal, do raquitismo, da subnutrição infantil, da prestação de cuidados às crianças e às mães, são alguns dos desafios que estamos determinados a enfrentar de frente nos próximos cinco anos. Por esta razão, a desnutrição infantil e o acesso ao Ensino pré-escolar são duas das nossas principais prioridades.
Em colaboração com a UNICEF, o governo pretende implementar a política intersetorial de desenvolvimento da primeira infância para promover investimentos nos primeiros anos de vida, a fim de construir uma base sólida para o capital social e humano.
Temos uma incidência elevada e inaceitável de violência doméstica. A UN Women reconhece, no entanto, que Timor-Leste está a dar passos significativos na implementação de quadros legais e políticas internacionais, incluindo a CEDAW, a Convenção sobre os Direitos das Pessoas com Deficiência e a Resolução 1325 do Conselho de Segurança, para promover a igualdade de género e o empoderamento das mulheres.
Somos um Estado observador na ASEAN com o direito de participar em todas as cimeiras de Chefes de Estado e de Governo, reuniões ministeriais, de altos funcionários e técnicos.
Nos 20 anos que decorreram desde a independência e nos 10 anos desde que solicitámos formalmente a adesão à ASEAN, a maior parte dos indicadores económicos e sociais revelam progressos significativos, nomeadamente a esperança de vida, que era inferior a 60 anos em 2002 e é agora de 70, a redução da pobreza ou da mortalidade infantil, 21 médicos em 2002 agora mais de 1.200. Em 2002, a eletricidade cobria parcialmente a capital, enquanto o resto do país não tinha esse privilégio.
Atualmente, cobre 96,1% do território.
Estamos muito gratos pela decisão unânime dos líderes da ASEAN de conceder a Timor-Leste o Estatuto de Observador, o Roteiro e um pacote de apoio abrangente para continuar a formar os nossos funcionários e diplomatas.
Não dependemos da ajuda externa e estamos eternamente gratos àqueles que nos ajudaram em alturas de grande necessidade.
Financiamos o nosso próprio Orçamento Nacional a partir dos retornos de um Fundo Soberano investido em Obrigações do Tesouro dos EUA e em mercados financeiros globais, com um retorno anual de mais de 9%.
Timor-Leste é membro ativo da Comunidade dos Países de Língua Portuguesa (CPLP) e é cofundador do grupo internacional g7+, estabelecido em 2010 em Díli, atualmente presidido por Serra Leoa.
[Speech continues in English]
Excellencies,
The global crises such as pandemic, climate change and war on Ukraine and the resulting geopolitical fragmentation have disproportionately impacted the already fragile and conflict affected countries. They have always felt the brunt of every global crisis. On the other hand, these countries are the least responsible for those crises. The incidents of extreme hunger, poverty and humanitarian crises caused by wars, climate change and geo-economic fragmentation are increasingly concentrated in fragile and conflict affected countries.
Armed conflicts proliferate and economic and social conditions are worsening in countries around the world. But we seem to have forgotten the children of the tragedies of Myanmar, Afghanistan, Yemen, Syria, Palestine, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
The growing tensions among regional and global powers are eroding the potential of our collective security institutions, at a time when we face serious existential challenges.
We cannot accept incomprehensible anachronisms, such as the embargo imposed on the Cuban people, the continuing impasse of the Western Sahara conflict, and the blatant disregard of UN resolutions on the “Two State” solution for Israel and Palestine.
On and off we hear about the need to reform the UN Security Council. Academics concoct an expanded Security Council, regurgitating ideas for a more representative body reflecting today’s demographics, an almost surreal task, bearing in mind that leaders up to the present have not ended the nuclear arms race, remain the biggest arms merchants of death, led in the desecration of Mother Nature, failed to help the poorest out of poverty and instead helped themselves more, have not shown wisdom in writing off the debt incurred by countries of the poorer South, burdens caused by loan sharks from Western commercial banks.
Children living in conflict zones continue to come under attack on an alarming scale. Recent years have seen an exacerbation of children’s vulnerability to grave violations.
In Myanmar, unable to control the ground, the military pursues a scorched earth strategy with widespread use of aircraft and helicopters targeting civilians across the country.
At least 3,000 civilians have been killed and 17,000 people arbitrarily imprisoned, including legitimately elected leaders such as Nobel Peace Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.
Timor-Leste condemns the invasion, violation of sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, and the ongoing war with its catastrophic consequences for the Ukrainian people, for Russians and for the rest of the world with the disruption of global trade in grain and energy.
We know from experience and history that very seldom wars are won on the battlefield, miscalculations and false pride prevail, and the war goes on for years, killings and utter destruction continue until exhaustion…only then the sides involved decide to begin negotiations on a peace settlement. So why not talk now?
Excellencies,
People living in fragile circumstances already feel the effects of climate change most severely. We need a new outlook on the climate and security nexus, which will address the impacts of climate change and environmental degradation on peace, security, and ensure that the quest for energy transition does not worsen the security situation in vulnerable and fragile countries.
Therefore, I am proposing a bold initiative in this area. This initiative would seek to accelerate the just energy transition in fragile developing states that heavily rely on oil and gas production to prevent turmoil and unrest.
The combined efforts of unlocking finance through debt alleviation, streamlining international finance at lowest interest rates, and significantly increasing official development assistance will empower these nations to embark on projects that foster the development of clean industries, address the ongoing loss and damage related to climate change, and facilitate their efforts in greenhouse gas mitigation and adaptation to climate change.
While initiatives to further the just transition exist, they do not pay enough attention to either fragile or vulnerable states nor to LDCs or SIDS.
As a second priority, this initiative will pay urgent attention to the particular challenges faced by fragile states that are not only susceptible to fragility and vulnerability on their own but where there is heightened risk when faced with any massive economic turmoil, which the green transition – if not handled carefully – could increase.
Thirdly, as the urgency to transition to a low-carbon economy and clean energy accelerate, this initiative will seek to ensure that the quest for rare earth elements and critical minerals does not lead to further instability nor promote weak governance or exacerbate local tensions nor grievances in the countries where strategic reserves of such elements and minerals are found.
This initiative seeks to create a brighter and more sustainable future for our planet and all its inhabitants. By facilitating the energy transition in Small Island Developing States, LDCs and climate vulnerable nations, we aim to mitigate climate change impacts and preserve our shared global environment for generations to come.
The super-rich CEOs of banks and creditor countries in the face of the agony of poverty, rising costs in the most impoverished countries, remain indifferent to the calls for debt cancellation. I am stating here to Banks and other credit institutions….CANCEL OFF THIS DAMN DEBT!
It would be a leap forward in international solidarity if all OECD countries were to allocate 1% of their national GDP to ODA. We would see positive effects on poverty rates, food security, access to basic health services, education, electricity, drinking water, sanitation, housing or social security, with multiplier effects on the diversification of economies, especially in agriculture.
We live in a Universe full of Dualities: an increasingly prosperous World, whose wealth has increased by 30 trillion a year, according to Nobel Prize winner Kailash Satyarthi, but the leaderships of the G7 or G20 fail to reflect this in the fight against hunger, stunting and other forms of multidimensional poverty.
We need to adopt a universal child benefit, a new ODA target for a fair share for children targeting particularly children in fragile low income countries.
Excellencies,
Allow me to remind you all a story that is no longer part of our daily conversation, the story of the 3-year-old Aylan Kurdi, an innocent Syrian child, whose lifeless body washed ashore near the Turkish resort town of Bodrum in September 2015.
And how many of you pain at the sight of children dying everyday of hunger and in the many other ongoing wars?
In centuries past the Atlantic Ocean was the graveyard of African slaves, and those who survived the voyage built new countries with their sweat and blood. In this XXIst Century, the Mediterranean Sea is the new graveyard of thousands of Africans, fleeing drought, extreme poverty, conflicts.
Excellencies,
No one should fear the Chinese, Indian, European, American Superpowers, rather we should welcome the positive reality of “Global Countries” that share with us diasporas, cultures and interests in well-being or security that are deeply intertwined with our own. We can gain more from the free movement of people and goods than from building concrete walls.
We all benefit from the impressive Indian transformation into a global economic success story. India has an admirable track record of decades of practical solidarity with other developing countries even during the early stages of its own development.
Equally we want to see prosperity in Europe, in Japan, South Korea, Australia. But their continuing prosperity depends on peace and stability in the Global South, depends on our markets, workforce and providers of raw wealth which they process and re-export. But this unequal relationship has to change. And will change only when we invest more in high quality Education and Health for our children and youth, when we invest more in Science and Technology.
We have the chance of the Century to build a new partnership of equals between the super-rich of the North and us in the periphery, with a renewed spirit of mission, around the global causes of nature and human survival.
Failing this, we will sink together, rich and poor, the weak and the powerful.
May God bless us all.