YouSaid · the spoken record

Luiz Felipe Lampreia

lines on the record: 67
first: 1997-09-24
most recent: 1999-09-24
sittings or episodes: 3
sources: un-general-debate

Every line below is reproduced as it was said and linked to the record it came from. Nothing here is summarised or generated. Directory · Search · Corrections

“Our societies await, again with increasing impatience, seeing multilateral organizations, and in particular the United Nations, show themselves to be up to the challenge of playing a meaningful — in fact, crucial — role in establishing an international order attuned to the shared aspirations and values of humankind as a whole. The road ahead calls for renewal and change. If the Governments of the world desire a strong and effective United Nations, they must not only change how they think and act with respect to this Organization, but they must also think and act to bring about change in the Organization. This is what is at stake. This is the challenge before us.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“At the outset of his second term of office, to which he was elected last October by an absolute majority of Brazilian voters, President Fernando Henrique Cardoso made it clear that: “The rule of law is the only admissible foundation for the international order. Should unilateralism and the use of force come to be accepted as organizing principles of international relations, in the long term it will be more rational to side with the instruments of power politics rather than to strive for order and to abide by law. If we are to see a truly new world order emerge, one of its cornerstones must be the acceptance that multilateral institutions — not least the Security Council — are the source of legality and legitimacy for those actions that guarantee peace and the peaceful resolution of disputes”.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“Our countries are confronted daily with economic difficulties and acute social grievances, such as poverty and extremes of inequality, which heighten impatience: impatience with economies unable to grow at a rate compatible with faster improvement of the well-being of societies; impatience in the face of vulnerability to crises and to turbulence in international markets; and impatience with political processes that sometimes appear slow to respond to the legitimate and pressing demands of citizens. It is vital, however, that this collective impatience be voiced and guided through democratic channels. Brazil’s commitment to democratic institutions and to the primacy of law also applies to international relations.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“For this reason, Brazil, Egypt, Ireland, Mexico, New Zealand, South Africa and Sweden will once again submit, at this session, a draft resolution on a new agenda for nuclear disarmament. The draft resolution, which seeks to pave the way for a constructive dialogue on this issue, is grounded on a realistic and balanced appraisal of the nature of the nuclear disarmament process. Our countries’ democratic institutions and the international organizations, particularly the United Nations, face fundamental challenges today.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“At the regional level we approved the important Inter-American Convention on Transparency in Conventional Weapons Acquisitions. We would like this Assembly to endorse the proposal to hold an international conference on illicit arms trafficking in all its aspects. Similarly, Brazil attaches considerable importance to the work being done on a draft convention against transnational organized crime. In turn, the continued existence of weapons of mass destruction remains a threat to the security and even the survival of humankind. All actions contrary to the aims of the non-proliferation regime should be firmly condemned by the international community. At the same time, it behooves the nuclear-armed States, as well as the threshold States, to move towards the complete and irreversible elimination of nuclear armaments.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“It is on the success of our neighbours, in which we trust, that hinges the success of the Brazilian people and its Government in solving their own problems and in overcoming their own challenges, which are neither few nor small. Organized crime and drug trafficking today pose a major challenge to democratic societies. They clearly represent a serious threat to the security of national institutions and to citizens directly, who pay with their own lives the intolerable price for this scourge of our times. The spiralling stockpile of and trade in small arms is closely linked to organized crime and drug trafficking. As its citizens find their lives daily at risk because of contraband firearms, Brazil gives the utmost priority to tackling this question.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“It is our hope that Suriname will join in the efforts and achievements of the region in bringing about these positive changes. The transformations that Venezuela is undergoing have drawn great international attention. This process of change must be respected, for it clearly and legitimately reflects the Venezuelan people’s desire for renewal. The expression of this aspiration through 6 institutional channels is the best guarantee that the changes under way will stay on the track of respect for the norms, rights and duties that define democracy. Brazil is also confident that the Government of President Andrés Pastrana, in Colombia, will persevere in its endeavours to bring peace to this kindred nation. Undue foreign interference would only aggravate an already complex situation, which it is up to the Colombians themselves to overcome.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“This capacity to overcome obstacles is equally noticeable in Ecuador, where, with the support of international financial institutions, political forces will — through democratic and constitutional channels — undertake the needed reforms to overcome the present crisis. Paraguay, in turn, successfully dealt with a delicate political crisis at the beginning of this year and is moving steadily along the road of democratic institution-building and economic development. Brazil, as always, will continue to decisively support Paraguay in that endeavour. Guyana provides a further demonstration, not only of our commitment to upholding and fostering democratic values, but equally of the integrationist spirit that inspires us.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“These same favourable expectations, we are sure, will be fulfilled at the elections to be held in Chile and in Uruguay this year, and in Mexico next year. Their outcome will most certainly underline the democratic character of Latin America. The political and economic achievements of Bolivia since the 1980s in overcoming obstacles that 20 years ago seemed insurmountable are a further indication of how much our region has changed for the better. Peru as well has gained international recognition through its resounding successes in reversing the adverse economic trends of past decades and in the war against terrorism and drug trafficking.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“At the end of last year, Ecuador and Peru, with the diplomatic support of Brazil, Argentina, Chile and the United States, signed in Brasilia the agreements that put an end to their long- running boundary dispute. Thus, despite all manner of difficulties, Latin America is transforming itself into a tightly knit entity that is politically, economically and socially integrated. It is in this spirit of integration, and in the abiding awareness that we belong to one family, that Brazil feels closely attuned to the various efforts at renewal under way in the region. The elections scheduled for next October in Argentina will no doubt confirm the political vitality of this great neighbour of ours and guarantee the necessary economic conditions for stability and reinvigorated growth.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“Both individually and within the framework of MERCOSUR our countries have become a powerful force in the drive to set the international trade system on a more open, balanced course, one that no longer aids and abets protectionist privileges at the expense, more often than not, of developing countries. Democracy has made it possible for the countries of Latin America to provide mutual assistance — without undue and unsolicited foreign interference and in a spirit of collaboration — whenever there is a jointly perceived threat to the institutional stability of one of them. Thanks to democracy, the countries of our region have successfully solved disputes that for long disturbed the harmony of the more peaceful and stable of continents.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“Our bilateral agreements in the field of nuclear cooperation are exemplary and a stabilizing force in the region and worldwide. The Southern Cone Common Market (MERCOSUR) — which our two countries joined Paraguay and Uruguay in establishing and with which the democracies of Bolivia and Chile have associated themselves — has fundamentally altered the economic face of the hemisphere and indeed of the world. Our integration process is not directed against anyone, but, on the contrary, seeks to strengthen our historical ties both within and beyond the Americas.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“Yet we have arrived at the end of the century with an inflation rate under 8 per cent. We fully expect to embark on a course of sustained annual growth of more than 4 per cent and are set to bring to completion a large-scale modernization programme by means of important reforms in tax, fiscal and social security matters. President Fernando Henrique Cardoso will not flinch in his determination to lay the groundwork for our country to become modern, economically fit and dynamic, as well as socially more just and politically mature. With the advent of democracy, Brazil and Argentina have developed the solid friendship that binds our peoples, and have over a short space of time built a lasting monument to integration.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“The adoption of consistent economic policies, in turn, has 5 made it possible to overcome the endless dilemmas that had ensnared us, and to put an end to the inflationary spiral that had brought so much uncertainty and injustice to our citizens. Let there be no doubt that the difficulties that we experienced, on and off, throughout 1999 will not cause us to lose faith and relinquish our achievements. For a few days, or maybe weeks, at the beginning of the year, Brazil was dubbed by some “the sick man of Latin America”. It was thought that we might slip back into the trap of high inflation, that we would experience deep recession, that we would once again resort to the panacea of stoking short- term growth and return to the old boom-and-bust cycles of the past.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“We therefore believe that the multinational force authorized by the Security Council — a force in which Brazil was determined to participate from the very outset — will put a stop to the atrocities committed since the popular ballot and will be able to re-establish the necessary conditions for a peaceful transition to independence. Over the past decade, Latin America, long viewed as a land of backwardness and dictatorships, has fashioned a new international image for itself through the transformations it has undergone. The return to democracy in our countries has had a decisive role in this, as did our important achievements in fostering respect for human rights — although much remains to be done.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“No less urgent — and in this case the United Nations is now actively engaged — is the task of helping guarantee the right of the East Timorese people to decide their own future as an independent nation, a decision unmistakably voiced in a free ballot. Brazilian society, which shares linguistic, cultural and historic ties with the Timorese, joined in their rejoicing when the vote returned a resounding verdict for independence. There was consternation in Brazil at the violence against our brothers in East Timor and at the loss of innocent lives that followed. Brazil cannot accept, nor can Brazilian citizens understand, that the self-determination of the Timorese people is not fully assured.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“In Angola, UNITA’s refusal to abide by the Lusaka Protocol and hardened positions threaten to rekindle in all its intensity the same civil war that over a quarter of a century has caused incalculable suffering to millions in that country, particularly the defenceless and the deprived. In Angola, which has special bonds with Brazil, the international community is squarely faced — despite the limited international press coverage — with an immense political challenge and a humanitarian disaster of shocking proportions. Urgent and priority action is called for. The Security Council can no longer allow its resolutions to be blatantly ignored, as has been the case.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“This may be because the necessary initiatives are in the end adopted outside the United Nations framework, as was the case in Kosovo. Or it may be because the measures agreed are not up to the concrete needs, as we have seen in East Timor. Or it may even be because the United Nations finds itself once again confronted, as in Angola, with well-known conflicts of catastrophic proportions that the international community has failed to address in a timely manner. Why is it that certain predicaments generate intense mobilization of ways and means, but not others? Why does human suffering in some parts of the globe fuel greater indignation than when it takes place elsewhere? The plight of Angola and that of East Timor offer two glaring examples of what amounts to a clear pattern of one-sided and unequal attention.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“As the requirements of our societies become ever greater over time, there grows a sense of an ever-widening gulf between our words and our deeds, a distance that serves only to feed the scepticism of some and the pessimism of others. Whenever an unfolding crisis and its human tragedy break through international indifference and become newsworthy, it is to the United Nations that the public opinion of our countries looks for meaningful answers. Unfortunately, however, the international community feels compelled to act in a coordinated fashion, mobilizing the necessary resources and political will, only when long- festering problems threaten to get out of hand, making a satisfactory solution all the more difficult. The upshot is a sense of frustration and impatience towards the United Nations.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“In these times of far-reaching and uncharted challenges before the international community, his sense of proportion and the strength of his serene leadership have been valuable aids in the search for realistic and innovative solutions. We appreciate and support his endeavours in the cause of peace, development and justice. The Brazilian Government warmly greets the admission of Kiribati, Nauru and Tonga, which have just joined the United Nations family. Year after year, for over half a century, we have gathered here to discuss and debate the issues of our time. Year after year, the representatives of the Member countries of the United Nations have come to this rostrum to set forth their vision of global affairs and to provide analysis and to propose solutions.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“Brazil congratulates you, Sir, on your election as President of the General Assembly at its fifty-fourth session. Your personal record in defence of democracy and human rights, which was forged in the struggle of the people of Namibia for liberty and self-determination, offers an inspiring example for our work. 4 As a sister nation of Uruguay, we take pride in the work done by your predecessor, my friend, Minister Didier Opertti. I would like to express the appreciation and gratitude of the Brazilian Government for his decisive role in presiding over the fifty-third session. Secretary-General Kofi Annan is equally deserving of special recognition.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“Countries must trust one another, but they must also have a reason to trust in the legitimacy and efficiency of multilateral organizations and procedures in order to tackle their most important problems. The dynamics of international life demand a constant updating of the instruments at the disposal of the community of nations to allow it to act collectively in the face of its greatest challenges. We must have the courage to recognize that never before have the risks and the cost of procrastination been so high. We must, above all, have the will to make the decisions that can ultimately restore our faith in ourselves, in our capacity to state that history does goes on, and that we are pointing it in the direction of a more just and better world.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“There is no other way if we are to establish a peaceful, stable and constructive international environment. Our so-called global village is still far from becoming a truly integrated community, in which people can consider themselves as participants in the same historical process. Of the many merits of international organizations, one of the most important is that they offer a framework of interaction that favours the development of a true sense of universal communion. In dealing with common problems, Governments learn in practice just how much they need to work more and more closely together. In international forums, we are constantly weaving a web of relations based on a stronger identity and trust between our nations and their leaders.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“8 For Brazil, reforming the United Nations necessarily implies updating the functioning and composition of the Security Council, which still mirrors a period of history that is now long gone. That does not mean — and I have stated this before in this forum — that the particular interests of this or that country should be taken into account. What it does mean is that fundamental deficiencies in terms of legitimacy, representativeness and effectiveness must be redressed. We will continue to defend expansion in both categories of members, with the presence, in both, of developing countries. It is inconceivable that, on the eve of the new millennium, reform of the Organization could exclude the restructuring of the Security Council. The basis of global solidarity is the establishment of trust between societies.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“President Cardoso has stated that we must abandon the path of globalization with exclusion — in the decision-making process as well as in the distribution of benefits — and seek globalization with solidarity in both of those dimensions. Reforming and strengthening the United Nations is an essential part of building a world of greater solidarity. The Brazilian Government recognizes the significant progress that has already been made in terms of structural and functional modernization of the Organization. We agree with the Secretary-General when he says that reform must not be seen as an event, but as a process; but we cannot but stress that an important part of that process has yet to be undertaken.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“Even though we still face daunting challenges, Brazilians are leading a better life, as our presence among those nations of greater human development indicates. Consistent with its domestic policies and its regional role, Brazil will continue to fight for a more balanced allocation of the benefits of economic interdependence, without distortions such as those resulting from protectionist policies of developed countries. Such policies affect in a particularly cruel manner the developing countries and serve to reinforce the arguments of those who preach domestically a return to closed economic models. In the current context of global economic turbulence, we must demand that the developed countries establish greater coherence between free-trade rhetoric and their unfair trade practices.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“We realize that the destiny of our economy is increasingly linked to that of the economies of our neighbours and partners, in the framework of an integration process that has decidedly contributed to progress in the region and to the well-being of our societies, particularly within MERCOSUR. The fruits of this process serve not only the goal of economic development but also, and most importantly, the cause of social justice, which remains the foremost task of our region. We welcome the results of the most recent edition of the United Nations Human Development Report. The numbers show that, in spite of all that remains to be done, our country has made extraordinary social progress over the past two decades in the areas of health, education, the fight against poverty and the reduction of disparities among the various regions of the country.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“As for East Timor — to which we are also bound by history and a common language — Brazil welcomes the new spirit that presides over this delicate and complex issue, especially in the context of the tripartite negotiations between the Portuguese and Indonesian Governments, under the auspices of the Secretary-General. The Brazilian Government has maintained a positive dialogue with the parties involved and is determined to assist, to the limit of its possibilities, in finding an adequate equation for all concerned, with progressive participation by the Timorese themselves. Since the advent of economic stability in 1994, Brazil has shown renewed dynamism with the strengthening of our domestic market and the outlook for development with social justice. But present-day Brazil does not see its development as isolated or self-contained.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“The international community must do everything within its reach so that Angola may finally dedicate itself to reconstruction and development. The Brazilian Government, along with the other members of the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries, is engaged in seeking a peaceful solution to the grave internal crisis faced by Guinea-Bissau. The Community, in close coordination with countries in the region, has contributed to spurring significant progress. We will continue to pursue favourable conditions for the urgent and complete normalization of life in that sister nation.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“His presence at the special session of the General Assembly this past June was clear proof of this commitment. Our participation in the effort to build a lasting peace extends beyond the Americas. The Brazilian military and police have taken part in United Nations forces in many parts of the world, particularly in Portuguese-speaking countries in Africa, to which we are bound by history and culture. Brazil has followed developments in Angola with concern. The United Nations must firmly insist that UNITA fulfil the commitments undertaken in the Lusaka Protocol. An unravelling of the situation could jeopardize the progress achieved in the peace process and would be tragic indeed. Angolans have been subjected to untold suffering for decades.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“Brazil attaches the utmost importance to the advancement of human rights. As we celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, we should recognize the persistent gap between principles and generally accepted rules of international law, on the one hand, and the prevalent realities of the world, on the other. The Brazilian Government is engaged in the fight to overcome the distance between norms and facts in our country. We are prepared to draw from the international environment elements that may help us realize an aspiration shared by all Brazilians. This was the main thrust of President Cardoso’s submission to the National Congress of the decision to recognize the mandatory jurisdiction of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. 7 President Cardoso is also committed to the fight against the drug trade.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“The fact that South America is a region in which countries essentially live in a harmonious, peaceful and increasingly integrated manner is for Brazil a vital and defining trait that our peoples are determined to preserve. The same applies to the permanence of democratic regimes as a common thread of the nations in our continent. It is a higher value to which we are collectively committed in the Southern Cone Common Market (MERCOSUR), the Rio Group and the Organization of American States (OAS). The advent and consolidation of democracy was the determining factor in the extraordinary work of integration in which South American nations are engaged. This is an accomplishment of our societies that the Governments of the region must always be prepared to defend as one. This is a basic tenet of Brazilian foreign policy.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“The cost of a failure to do so could be truly catastrophic, and the risks are evident to all. The Brazilian Government, as the coordinator of the guarantor countries of the Rio de Janeiro Protocol, has been making a sustained effort to assist Ecuador and Peru in reaching at the earliest possible date a solid and final agreement on the border differences that have kept them apart for decades. Our diplomatic services — together with those of Argentina, Chile and the United States — stand ready to continue making the best possible contribution. Recent developments confirm the prognosis that the peace process is on its way to a conclusion and reflect the political will and the high level of engagement with which Ecuador and Peru have been working towards that end.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“We also expect that Governments which have still not become party to the NPT, the CTBT and other relevant instruments and mechanisms will do so at an early date. As an expression of the determination which motivates us to work for this cause, Brazil, together with seven other friendly countries, signed the “Declaration on a Nuclear Weapon Free World: the Need for a New Agenda” on 9 June of this year. During the current session of the General Assembly, together with our partners in the Declaration, we intend to present a draft resolution aimed at boosting and guiding efforts towards the complete and definitive elimination of nuclear weapons. There is no longer room or justification for postponing action in the nuclear field or in the broader fight to eliminate all weapons of mass destruction.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“Three days ago in Washington, I had the satisfaction of personally depositing the instrument of accession to the NPT, in tandem with our Ambassadors in London and Moscow. These decisions lend formal and symbolic support to the commitment to use nuclear energy for exclusively peaceful purposes. This commitment is enshrined in the Brazilian Constitution and is strengthened by the bilateral and regional pacts we have signed. The existing agreements and the cooperation between Brazil and Argentina, as well as the Treaty of Tlatelolco, are exemplary achievements in this field. Brazil thus feels particularly motivated to call upon nuclear-armed States, and upon those with the capability of producing such weapons, to take decisive steps towards disarmament.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“Under the leadership of President Cardoso, we have renewed our permanent willingness to play a more active 6 role in building a world order conducive to peace and development. This spirit guides Brazil’s international action, particularly within the United Nations. I wish to point out that, in the Security Council and other United Nations bodies, our delegation, led by Ambassador Celso Amorim, has faithfully reflected this central guideline of Brazilian foreign policy. In 1998, we have completed our participation in the international non-proliferation regime. We have ratified the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) and acceded to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), which was approved by Brazil’s National Congress this past July.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“A world racked by economic instability or despair cannot be a safe environment, free of the threat of war, conflict and violence. But the reverse is also true: material and social progress presupposes minimal conditions of security and peaceful coexistence among and within countries. We must advance on both fronts by working to establish a climate of confidence in the political-strategic realm and in the essential context of the global economy. Brazil’s relative weight and the history of our international behaviour are some of our country’s most important credentials. These credentials are strengthened today by the maturity of our democracy and by the vigorous modernization of the Brazilian economy.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“We have before us an essentially political challenge. This does not mean simply modernizing decision-making procedures or administrative structures, but also giving to multilateral treatment of issues the priority it so often receives in our speeches and statements. A large gap still remains between the recognition that the central problems facing humanity must be dealt with at the international level and the resistance of Governments and societies to act in accordance with that recognition. This is most evident in the allocation of resources and in the adoption of policies capable of generating external repercussions. In that same vein, if the link between the national and the international is ever greater, peace and development are also increasingly related.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“The willingness to deal collectively with problems will motivate individual countries to believe in the benefit of seeking international consideration of matters in their direct interest. The world cannot depend only on the willingness, capacity and interest of a select number of countries to mobilize and lead international efforts in this or that direction. We can no longer accept situations, such as the present financial crisis, in which, despite the undeniably international nature of the phenomenon, Governments and societies simply do not fully trust any of the existing organizations or mechanisms as a source of support, guidance or even interpretation of the problem at hand. We must give serious consideration to the fact that growing interdependence renders indispensable effective governance at the international level.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“One can imagine extreme scenarios of a return to closed economic models, to the search for elusive self- sufficiency and isolation, to notions of national security based on distrust of others and on the insecurity of others. Such scenarios must not become reality. We cannot allow it. Progress in international relations depends fundamentally on the perception of the international arena not as a source of potential threat, but as an environment in which risks can be reduced and difficulties overcome by a pooling of wills and resources. Ours is not a world in which nations should be left to their own devices. The cost of such a course is invariably higher than the energy or resources saved by attempts to distance oneself from the problems of others.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“Until now, political will has not corresponded to the magnitude and gravity of the situation. The crisis will not resolve itself. We must join together to face it. In this, as in other fields of international life, we must avoid at all costs an attitude that, back in the seventies, Brazilian Foreign Minister Azeredo da Silveira described as “the postponement syndrome”. Experience teaches us that inaction can have a high cost. It also teaches that answers given by various countries to crisis situations, if guided by irrational or spur-of-the- moment reactions, can turn these situations into even greater problems, prolonging their effects over time and aggravating people’s suffering.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“Since the beginning of his Administration, President Fernando Henrique Cardoso of Brazil has been calling the attention of other world leaders to the task of making the global financial system more stable and predictable. In repeated messages to G-7 members, beginning in 1995, he offered concrete proposals: to increase cooperation among monetary authorities; to expand coordination of macroeconomic policies among countries that can have considerable impact on world finance; to upgrade international monitoring capacity over domestic macroeconomic policy; and to expand mechanisms aimed at stabilizing currencies under speculative attack. There have been, of course, considerable advances along some of these lines, but the measures adopted still fall far short of what is needed.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“But the international community cannot wait, with arms crossed, for the course of events to shed light on our quandary. It is both legitimate and necessary that Governments act to try to prevent problems that may arise. In an era marked by the rapid integration of national economies, such action by Governments will increasingly have to be made through coordination in the international sphere. Although there is still no consensus as to the dimension of the crisis we face, nor on the prognosis for its duration, there seems to be a growing convergence of points of view regarding the impact of the high volatility of capital movements. The events of the past few months 5 have revealed a serious lag between growing financial interdependence and the modest effectiveness of existing international mechanisms for dialogue and coordination.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“Because of his dedication to the task of modernizing our Organization and, above all, because of his decisive role in situations that pose a real threat to international peace and security, the Secretary-General deserves our applause. The diplomatic talent and serene daring revealed by Mr. Kofi Annan confirm that we have in him a leader who is up to the challenges and opportunities before us. It was an honour for us to have welcomed him in Brazil this past July. The defining trait of this particular moment is the troubling instability that besets global financial markets. Since the last quarter of 1997, when we first felt the shock waves of what was then called the “Asian crisis”, the world economy has been suffering the effects of a phenomenon whose reach, depth and permanence are still not clear.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“Mr. President, your election to preside over the fifty-third session of the United Nations General Assembly is especially gratifying for us Brazilians. Brazil and Uruguay came into being as sister nations, and our bonds are becoming ever stronger. With each passing day, our destinies are more and more linked together. The opportunity I have of working closely with my friend, Didier Opertti, allows me to say with conviction that at this session the Assembly will have a formidable President. In the exercise of this important task, you will benefit from the example set by your predecessor. At the helm of the fifty-second session, Mr. Hennadiy Udovenko was able to guide and motivate delegations and to provide valuable impulse to the proposals for reform put forward by the Secretary- General.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“Reform has become more than a key concept; it has become the order of the day for the United Nations in 1997. Let us do it with that "fierce urgency of now" felt by Martin Luther King, a symbol of political leadership and of the forces of change in our century. "This is no time", said King in his most famous speech, "to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquillizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time...". Let us do it, then.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“We will continue to rely on the political body with the universality and moral strength that, in the history of humankind, only the United Nations has been able to muster. We must display in this session the determination to create the conditions for the United Nations to be an effective instrument for promoting international peace and security. The same spirit of leadership that we have seen in the Secretary-General and in Ambassador Razali has driven many delegations. A new willingness to make a constructive contribution to the Security Council reform process and to other reforms is clearly felt by Member States. There is a new thrust to negotiations. There is leadership, as well as carefully crafted proposals. We must take advantage of this unique opportunity in the history of the United Nations. We must not let the moment pass.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“The Brazilian Government notes with satisfaction that we are moving, if not towards consensus, at least in the direction of a significant majority in favour of certain basic notions about how to reform the Security Council, particularly enlargement of its permanent membership to take account of the developing world. The proposal by Ambassador Razali, presently under discussion in the Working Group, constitutes a firm basis for a negotiating process leading to a decision by the General Assembly. Ambassador Razali has helped us regain the ideal of Council reform as a means of strengthening the entire Organization. Our priority is now to define the most suitable format for an enlarged Security Council. This must be the prime focus of attention. The international community needs a strong, efficient and ever-present United Nations.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“Brazil has expressed, through President Fernando Henrique Cardoso, its willingness to accept the responsibilities of permanent membership in the Security Council, if called upon by the international community to do so. In such a case, Brazil would be determined to carry out the role of permanent member as the representative of Latin America and the 6 Caribbean. We want our region to be present in the Security Council on a permanent basis and, through ample coordination and consultation, to have an even stronger collective voice.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“The Council must be enlarged both in its permanent membership, to take account of the industrialized and the developing worlds, and in its non-permanent membership, to allow for more frequent participation by interested States. We repudiate all discrimination in the conception or assignment of new seats. We must not create a third or fourth category of member. This would weaken and depreciate the participation of the developing world, and of Latin America in particular, in the reform process and in an enlarged Council. We have always said that in identifying new permanent members we must exercise realism and pragmatism by means of a democratic selection process that leads to universally recognized representation without renouncing regional support.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)