YouSaid · the spoken record

Jorge Carlos De Almeida Fonseca

lines on the record: 37
first: 2012-09-24
most recent: 2018-09-24
sittings or episodes: 2
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

“Cabo Verde will want to hear what our development partners think of the relevance of our proposals and options, and to discuss forms of cooperation with them, in close coordination with our agreed national efforts, including the alignment of our national development plan with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals. We therefore count on the support of the members of the Assembly on Cabo Verde’s journey towards the sustainable development for which we all strive.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“Finally, we call for more substantial inclusion of and a greater voice for developing countries within the United Nations system, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and other institutions in line with the work that is already being pursued. To that end, in December 2018, the Government of Cabo Verde will convene a round table in Paris to make an appeal for the mobilization of innovative partnerships that are consistent with our reality as a small island developing State.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“We see this situation in our growing regional asymmetries, which are exacerbated by the lack of territorial continuity that goes with being an island nation, the nefarious effects of drought, desertification and other climate changes, as well as weak production capacity, unemployment of young people, social and gender inequalities, the excessive burden of external debt on the budget, and the difficulties in internally connecting our country by air and sea, which hampers the creation of a competitive and coherent market, which is essential for developing tourism. Such facts convince us of the relevance of and need for support measures that are distinct and adjusted to the realities of our country in the areas of development, trade and foreign debt.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“Cabo Verde graduated to a middle-income country in 2008, when the world was gripped by a major international financial crisis, which contributed to our missing the window of opportunity created by our graduation. Since then, the structural vulnerabilities afflicting our country have become not only aggravated but also more complex.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“Naturally, we must also increase our reliance on domestic resources, develop through public-private partnerships and become more effective in fighting extreme poverty, social exclusion and unemployment, particularly among young people, thereby promoting growth and development in Cabo Verde. Our constraints with respect to energy, water, health and sanitation, to name just a few areas, will require our continued attention, and we will need to build the necessary infrastructure to create the conditions for ensuring our economy’s sustainable growth. Similarly, as we look to our future, we must also consider the increasingly disastrous impacts that climate change and other natural disasters are having on the world, particularly on small island developing States.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“However, with our country’s service-based economy, its very small market and an agricultural sector that is struggling against desertification and scarce rainfall, we cannot ignore our significant vulnerabilities, and we note that we must not rest because we have graduated to middle-income-country status. Indeed, we believe that we must not lose sight of the fact that our economy continues to be very dependent and that it cannot absorb a large number of our workers, with all the social effects that that entails, which is why we continue to rely on international solidarity.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“More than a model of the political stability that characterizes our country or of the democratic regime that we have built and consolidated, the nation of Cabo Verde, which predates the creation of the Cabo Verdean State, may be considered an example of peaceful coexistence among people from different countries and with different beliefs who have been blended into a unique and diverse culture that is open to the world and to the sharing of values. Without any pretence or false modesty, I am also proud of our country’s journey from independence to the present day. In fact, I can say that, according to the human, economic and financial indices, our country’s achievements have been favourably received by major international institutions, particularly those in the financial arena.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“It is along those lines that we fully subscribe to the plea by the Holy Father Pope Francis for a universal moratorium on executions. Through the 43 years of its independence, Cabo Verde, a small island State with major shortages of resources, is proud to be a democratic country built on the rule of law through the sacrifice and determination of Cabo Verdeans residing in the country and abroad. I believe that my country can contribute, even if modestly, to the quest for solutions to major problems that currently afflict our troubled world.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“As a superior value, life cannot be left at the mercy of presumably fallible judges, who, unaware of the laws of clemency, imprudently insist on donning the soiled robe of the executioner, succumbing to the dim light cast by a law that, in terms of relative values, is certainly not above the value of life and the ethics that it embodies. Moreover, we also believe that, based on an unwavering and optimistic anthropology, human beings can be rehabilitated and that, in the modern world, there exist institutional conditions and less grievous forms of punishment that are still suitable and effective and which avoid the shameful radical solution of ending the life of a fellow human being. Viewing criminal justice in the context of the rule of law, capital punishment is therefore unjustifiable.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“In that regard, we wish to reiterate our absolute support for the recent appeal by Pope Francis to the conscience of State authorities around the world to seek an international consensus on the abolition of the death penalty. In addition to calling for the unequivocal, firm and exemplary repudiation of capital punishment, Pope Francis also spoke against the so-called extrajudicial executions, or illegal killings that are being committed. In the name of clemency and prudence, we firmly believe that capital punishment is not an appropriate and fair instrument, nor is it efficient in achieving justice, in the light of its insurmountable conditionalities and weaknesses.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“It is a fact that the search for a new universal conscience will lead us to rethink our understanding of the purposes and motivations behind human coexistence, but they should always be based on respect for life and the immanent dignity of human beings. The Constitution and justice system of Cabo Verde do not provide for life sentences or the death penalty. In fact, the death penalty has not been applied in our country since before the last quarter of the nineteenth century. Our unique historical and social condition has instilled in us cultural principles and values that promote the right to life under all circumstances.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“Furthermore, it emanates from the very nature of the Cabo Verdean people — from the culture of tolerance that has allowed our policies to be shaped by such values and principles over four decades of history as a sovereign nation. In our day-to-day lives, we have demonstrated that tolerance is possible and that the sharing of values is a reality, even in the face of adversity. We profoundly regret to see that the death penalty still exists in many countries around the world. The existence of the death penalty in the twenty-first century demands profound, careful and responsible reflection from all of us.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“Such violations have also been observed in situations of war, which unfortunately afflicts many parts of the world, especially Africa, taking on unacceptable dimensions through increasingly common practices such as human trafficking, including the trafficking of children, organized transnational crime and acts of genocide and other war crimes. Despite those unfavourable conditions, we raise the banner of hope and fight to defend and promote fundamental human rights, driven, above all, by our faith in the capacity of humankind to creatively mould reality to our will, notwithstanding causalities and constraints. Our country’s choice to pursue a policy of peace, dialogue and understanding to prevent and resolve conflicts acknowledges and reflects those values.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“The fact that universal standards and principles of human rights are integral to the legal order of many countries is a major advancement for humankind. However, that does not mean that such standards and principles are fully and effectively accepted. In fact, human rights achievements translate into a framework of rights that combine with cultural or historical conditions to weave a non-linear history that is at times contradictory but always open and never- ending. Respect for the Universal Declaration of Human Rights therefore constitutes an unquestionably noble goal and, at the same time, remains one of the greatest challenges of our time. Although the struggle for its effectiveness is intensifying, violations have virtually been institutionalized in many parts of the world.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“However, hate, discrimination and violence are still alive and present. As the Director-General of UNESCO has stated: “Hundreds of millions of women and men are destitute, deprived of basic livelihoods and opportunities. Forced population movements are violating rights on an unprecedented scale. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development promises to leave no one behind — human rights must be the bedrock for all progress moving forward.” The date of 10 December, Human Rights Day, is strategically important in that human rights have established a universal standard for society to achieve, one that is globally inclusive and socially emancipating, enabling all human beings to realize their free and full development.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“In order to mitigate those and other problems that all of us present here in this Assembly face, the United Nations has worked tirelessly under the leadership of our Secretary-General, to whom I would like to express, once again, our profound gratitude. To address those problems, the President of the General Assembly could not have proposed a more appropriate theme for her presidency than “Making the United Nations relevant to all people”, while also promoting multilateralism, which I define here as combining efforts and taking a path to global leadership and shared responsibilities in order to build the peaceful, equitable and sustainable societies that we all desire. We will celebrate the seventieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on 10 December.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“I am referring, for example, to terrorism, which is spreading in many countries; the migration crisis, particularly on the African continent, from where we get news, virtually every day, of young people, children and women who have abandoned their homes out of desperation and ventured into the world in search of a better life only to face subhuman conditions; the impact of climate change on human security; conflicts and other threats to peace coming to us from all quarters of the world; and the glaring situation of poverty, which continues to be a reality that puts our global capacity to leave no one behind to the test.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“I would like to congratulate you, Madam President, on your election, and wish you great success as you embark on your noble and challenging mission. I also wish to congratulate Mr. Miroslav Lajčák, of the Republic of Slovakia, the outgoing President of the General Assembly, for his excellent work during his term. Next, I would like to express my utmost appreciation to the Secretary-General, Mr. António Guterres, for his smart and competent stewardship of our common house, and to reaffirm our full trust and profound respect for his leadership, particularly amid the many difficulties that the world currently faces.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“Cape Verde supports the position of the African Union, which recommends that the Council be reformed so as to correct the unjust situation with respect to the African continent. At present Africa does not have the right to even one permanent seat on the Council, even though it meets all the requirements. I conclude, Mr. President, with the conviction that Africa can also provide a valuable contribution to the development of a better world, one without war, where peace is not just a theoretical concept; a world with more freedom, justice and security — in other words, a world with more fraternity and prosperity, in which the well-being of its citizens is effectively provided for.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“We reaffirm that that is the legitimate path for finding solutions to problems that affect all humankind. I support and welcome such statements. In conclusion, the world has developed immensely since the end of the Cold War. The current multilateral system must align itself with the new challenges. For the United Nations to continue to be an efficient and vital instrument for the international community in this new era of multilateral relations, it will have to open up, innovate, listen to other voices and accept the new political, economic and social realities that have been created and imposed by the globalization process. The reform of the Security Council — an organ that is responding less and less every day to the challenges of the contemporary world — is a goal that has long been pursued, without success.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“We are certain that that would be a stimulus for all such countries to achieve the Millennium Development Goals in 2015. In 2009, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon affirmed at Princeton University that the United Nations needed “a new vision, a new paradigm, a new multilateralism”. That would help to ensure global economic and financial stability, combat poverty, re-establish peace, respond to the effects of climate change, improve global health, fight against terrorism and ensure disarmament and non-proliferation. At the closing ceremony of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) in June, it was stated that Rio+20 had shown that multilateralism was an irreplaceable instrument for the global expression of democracy.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“It is time to take decisions on issues such as global trade and climate change on the basis of global negotiations that are grounded in fair, equal and ethical rules and that are in step with the countries of the South, in general, and of my continent, in particular. That would give legitimacy to other forums, that is, in the context of the World Trade Organization, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. In short, we call for decisions on specific measures that will result in effective decision-taking within this Organization on development areas, such as cancelling the foreign debt of developing countries, in particular small island developing States.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“There is no peace on account of the intolerance and social exclusion that prevent its citizens from building a free, fair, democratic and pluralistic society. That, at times, exacerbates armed conflicts and other social ills. Africa needs a new train of thought that does not reject the universal values of democracy but, on the contrary, uses them to enrich its own development process with a dialectic between modernity and tradition, freedom and the tendency for its own conditioning, the demands of its economic development and the fight against exclusion and social inequality, and reality and preconceptions. Africa needs to regain its self-confidence. Africa still needs to see stronger links between the United Nations and the African Union for a true development partnership.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“In any case, an organization such as the United Nations, which is a depository of values that respect legality and international law, should never, through its silence, promote, further or support solutions that merely legitimize unconstitutional actions. It is clear that much remains to be done. In our view, as I have said before, in Africa there has been no lack of mechanisms, declarations, recommendations, programmes and projects with assessments and perspectives that disregard the political, institutional, social and cultural elements and sometimes resemble a vicious cycle. There is no real development because there is no peace. Democracy is not deeply rooted because it conflicts with cultural and moral traditions.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“The recent cases of Mali, Guinea-Bissau and others, such as the Sudan, Somalia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and some countries of the Maghreb, well illustrate the situation. The international community has every interest in resolutely focusing on the fight to eradicate such ills. Despite those constraints, it should be acknowledged that the new wave of African leaders has been doing a great deal for the continent’s progress. The international community must therefore help such countries to find appropriate solutions to the situations that they face, without interfering or acting in the interests of others rather than of our people.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“Those people are already suffering from hunger, the scourge of AIDS, the consequences of other endemic diseases, the f light of hundreds of thousands of displaced people and the overwhelming environmental degradation to which the continent is victim. Despite the fact that the continent least contributed to that imbalance, it is Africa that most suffers from its consequences. Such crises also affect security not only because of regional conflicts but also owing to the universal dimension that terrorism has assumed. In that regard, it has affected a good part of our continent with its links to trafficking in drugs and persons, maritime piracy, religious intolerance and the problems that arise from the political, social or military instability prevailing in many of our countries. That is fertile territory for terrorism and its growth.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“It is therefore fundamental for us to constantly monitor all relevant aspects of those complex relationships so that we can understand the leading trends that have an impact on our process of development, but also so that we can contribute even modestly to solving the problems of people and countries across the globe. Although social and political stability are essential aspects of our society, we cannot ignore the fact that on our continent, Africa, that has not been a basic characteristic for internal and, to some extent, external reasons. I express my deep concern about the economic and financial global crisis that continues to severely punish the Governments and defenceless populations of the African continent.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“We also must take into account the fact that the impact on small island developing States of climate change and natural disasters is a sword of Damocles threatening our future. It is imperative that all countries, acting consistently and with solidarity, implement environmental defence programmes, develop the green economy and help build true global resilience. One of the most remarkable characteristics of today’s world is the increasing interdependence of all sectors. We may speak frequently of the economy, but that is because it conditions all the rest — the environmental, health, security, political and cultural sectors, indeed, nearly all areas of human activity.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“On the contrary, we cannot lose sight of the fact that our economy is still very dependent, that it cannot employ a significant portion of its potential workforce, with all the social consequences that stem from that. We are therefore obliged to continue to rely on international solidarity. We of course will continue to use our meagre resources in an efficient and rational manner and develop even more effective efforts to combat poverty, social exclusion and unemployment, which in 2010 reached an overall rate of 21 per cent, and 50 per cent among youth. Constraints with respect to energy, water and sanitation continue to garner our full attention so that, as we build key infrastructure, we can create the conditions needed to achieve sustainable growth in our economy.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“At independence, our annual gross domestic product (GDP) was $190 per capita, whereas today it has grown to $3,295 per capita per annum. Several social indices have mirrored that growth, making it possible for us to achieve some of the Millennium Development Goals. In fact, the human development, economic and financial results registered in the biennium 2011-2012 received positive reviews from the major international financial institutions. Ours is a service economy — with services accounting for 80 per cent of GDP in 2010 — with a very small market and an agricultural sector that is struggling with desertification and drought. We therefore cannot ignore our great vulnerabilities or rest on our laurels for having graduated to a medium-income developed country.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“Nevertheless, we are aware that if those principles, which we have embedded in our Constitution, including those referring to human rights, do not trickle down into our day-to-day culture, the Constitution will not be fulfilled in its entirety. We therefore urge all Cape Verdeans, be they in the country or outside, to further internalize the values of our Constitution, which we consider a critical step in ensuring its vitality and full realization. Despite the serious issues arising in the world and the vulnerabilities of the Cape Verdean economy and its direct impact on the living conditions of the majority of its people, I must say without false modesty that I am proud of the trajectory that my country has followed since its independence.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“By happy coincidence, that critical date for Cape Verde — 25 September — coincides with the launch of the sixty-seventh session of the General Assembly, that exponent of democracy on a global level which is undergoing a process of revitalization. As such, I am very grateful to be able to share our milestone with General Assembly. The Magna Law stipulates that our domestic legal order incorporates the precedents and standards of international common law and the law of treaties as lawfully approved and ratified. It is thus clear that we attach great importance to institutions like the United Nations and the principles that guide them.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“Our way of life has allowed successive Cape Verdean Governments and heads of State to manage the foreign policy of our country in a consistent manner, giving priority to peace, justice and the peaceful coexistence of people in the formulation of policy. Accordingly, our foreign policy is the expression or translation of our culture and our ideology. That is also what guides me as I strive to broaden Cape Verde’s contribution to our continent and, hopefully, to the world. On 25 September, we celebrated the twenty-fifth anniversary of the adoption of the Constitution of the Republic of Cape Verde, which is proof of the stability we enjoy in our country. It has allowed numerous presidential, legislative and municipal elections to take place, and changes in power have occurred with the highest degree of normality.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“Cape Verde has opted for a policy for peace, dialogue and understanding in the resolution of conflicts. The expression of those values is part of the Cape Verdean people’s way of living and being. Ours is a culture of tolerance that has shaped, in the almost four decades of its history, the values and principles of the country’s policies. Besides our modest political contribution to the resolution of conflicts in Southern Africa, for example, the end of apartheid in South Africa, the independence of Namibia and peace in Angola, I would assert that our biggest contribution has been our way of life as a people and as a culture. Through our way of life, we have been able to show that tolerance and the sharing of values can be part of daily living, even in adverse conditions.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“Notwithstanding the fact that my country faces enormous difficulties in ensuring its own existence and that to overcome them will require international solidarity, I believe that Cape Verde can, although modestly, contribute towards finding solutions to important problems that threaten the troubled world of our time. Apart from the political stability that has characterized us as well as the build-up and consolidation of a democratic system, the Cape Verdean nation that preceded the creation of the State can be considered an example of peaceful coexistence among peoples who originated from different countries, with different creeds integrated into what had already been a mixed sculture. Our nation stands open to the world and to the exchange of values.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“We reaffirm our trust in his leadership during a particularly difficult time in our history — during one of the worst financial crises that the world has ever known that has had repercussions in the economic, social, political, food, energy and environmental sectors, to say nothing of the terrible threats to peace and security emanating from every corner of the world. As a small island State, with a shortage of resources and with only 37 years of independence, Cape Verde is proud to be a democratic country that is based on the rule of law, built with the suffering and the determination of Cape Verdeans inside and outside our country.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“I convey my greetings to the President of the General Assembly, Mr. Vuk Jeremić, whom I congratulate on his election. I wish him success during his tenure as President of the General Assembly at its sixty-seventh session. I would also like to convey my greetings to the former President of the General Assembly at its sixty-sixth session, Mr. Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser of the State of Qatar, for the excellent work he accomplished during his tenure. Also allow me to express my appreciation to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for his competent management of the Organization.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)