YouSaid · the spoken record

Carlos Gomes Junior

lines on the record: 35
first: 2009-09-24
most recent: 2011-09-24
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

“To conclude, I take this opportunity to thank all friends and partners of Guinea-Bissau for their support and solidarity and to assure them that we will spare no effort in consolidating peace and building a more just society to create better living conditions for the Guinean people.”
2011-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 66 (2011)
“We deem it legitimate to want the decisions of the Security Council to be made more inclusive and participatory through giving our continent both permanent and non-permanent seats, as is the wish of the African Union, because of the large representation of the African continent. Under the auspices of the President of the Republic, Mr. Malam Bacai Sanhá, the National Assembly launched a process of national reconciliation involving all the forces of the nation. That important initiative has contributed to the establishment of the 11-51360 14 climate of peace and understanding that now prevails in the country.”
2011-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 66 (2011)
“We urge the United States Government to draw on the values that define that great nation and to resume its relationship with Cuba, ending the embargo that has lasted for more than five decades and freeing the Cubans still being held in its prisons. The responsibilities of the United Nations are increasing, and the globalization of the decisions that it is called upon to take is becoming increasingly urgent. The historical reasons that led to the establishment of the Security Council are no longer current. The demographic representation of the different regions of the world, the emergence of new countries and new geopolitical configurations oblige us to accept as natural the reform of the Security Council.”
2011-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 66 (2011)
“We encourage a constructive dialogue on the basis of the possibility of peaceful coexistence and mutually advantageous cooperation between countries and peoples. This session of the Assembly is taking place at a time when major changes are occurring in the Arab world. These changes call for greater political and social rights, as well as values such as freedom and democracy, and, for that very reason, the Arabs have our sympathy and solidarity. We regret, however, the cases where transition incurs high costs in terms of human lives. With regard to Libya, Guinea-Bissau fully supports the position of the African Union and expresses its full readiness to cooperate and to strengthen the increasingly friendly relations and cooperation with the legitimate representatives of the Libyan people.”
2011-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 66 (2011)
“I welcome the steps taken recently by the Guinean Parliament, which approved the criminalization of female genital mutilation and increased penalties for trafficking in minors. Guinea-Bissau’s status and credibility in the international arena depends largely on its ability to define and implement a foreign policy that takes into account the great universal values of democracy, freedom and human rights, which are our values as well. In our diplomatic efforts, we have to be consistent with our historical commitments and, above all, faithful to all who selflessly helped us in the struggle for the affirmation of our dignity. From that perspective, we welcome the decision of the Palestinian Authority to submit a request for the recognition of the State of Palestine as a full Member of the United Nations.”
2011-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 66 (2011)
“In that context, we appeal once more for the participation of and contributions by all traditional donors that are interested in our country and that wish to support national efforts aimed at overcoming our current weaknesses. Let me once again welcome the establishment of UN-Women, an entity that reflects the firm commitment of our Organization to the struggle for gender equality and to ensuring that women have the conditions necessary for a more representative and active participation in the process of transformation that is under way in our societies. In the same context, my country is taking measures to uphold the dignity of women, including measures to promote their empowerment and the affirmation of their autonomy.”
2011-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 66 (2011)
“As a result of our excellent macroeconomic performance, the country reached the completion point of the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative, thus achieving forgiveness of about 90 per cent of its external debt and the recent re-evaluation of the growth rate of its gross domestic product, which is now fixed at 5.3 per cent, which is higher than originally predicted. We have all the conditions needed to maintain and accelerate this trend during the next year. To that end, in addition to relying on our own resources, which can now be devoted to poverty reduction programmes, the Government will organize a round table of donors in the first quarter of 2012 to mobilize the necessary financial resources for the implementation of those programmes.”
2011-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 66 (2011)
“The high rate of poverty that still prevails in our country has forced the Government to adopt an ambitious agenda for the future, embodied in our national poverty reduction strategy document and based on the pillars of stability, peace, economic growth and poverty reduction. That document defines the main challenges and recommends priorities for the next five years. As a result of serious and rigorous implementation of this strategy, the Government that I have the honour to lead has already successfully reversed this negative trend. The current economic situation is clearly improving, the result of progress made in the last two and a half years in strengthening public policy and 13 11-51360 improving macroeconomic performance, as our partners, especially the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, will testify.”
2011-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 66 (2011)
“We address this appeal to countries that are better prepared than we are to do so. We are making a formal request for the support of the United States and the European Union and its member States, since we cannot single- handedly fight drug trafficking, which, as we all know, is increasingly powerful and sophisticated. We are approaching the deadline for achieving the Millennium Development Goals, but despite ongoing efforts, Guinea-Bissau continues to face challenges with regard to basic sanitation, supplies of drinking water and energy, and the provision of primary health services, to cite only the most pressing issues.”
2011-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 66 (2011)
“In order to combat drug trafficking and organized crime, the Government, through its Council of Ministers, has adopted two important instruments, a political declaration and a plan of action, which include large-scale actions in the following three areas: strengthening the legal system, strengthening the criminal justice system, and combating drug use and HIV/AIDS. Alongside such measures at the national level, the Government is seeking to sign bilateral agreements to strengthen the fight against drug trafficking, keeping in mind that, without strategic cooperation between the countries of origin, transit and consumption of drugs, there can be no effective fight against drug trafficking. Therefore, from this rostrum, we reiterate our appeal, as we have many times before, for help in controlling our maritime borders.”
2011-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 66 (2011)
“We therefore expect to hold a high-level meeting with our development partners this year, in order to obtain the financial and technical resources required to implement the reforms, and we appeal to all our partners to participate in and commit to the meeting. Drug trafficking and organized crime are a current subject of discussion in the Organization, and, as is well known, the West African region to which we belong cited as a hub and Guinea-Bissau is also often singled out as a transit point for illicit drugs. In full awareness of this reality and recognizing our known problems, we are proud to say that we were one of the first countries to request the good offices of the United Nations, through the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), to help us deal with the issue with determination and effectiveness.”
2011-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 66 (2011)
“With the signing of the Tripartite Agreement Protocol or Memorandum of Understanding between the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the Community of Portuguese- speaking Countries and the Government of Guinea- Bissau, which will take place at the margins of this session of the Assembly, we will be able to make a major qualitative leap in the implementation of defence and security forces reform, as well as in effectively implementing the programmes contained in the ECOWAS road map. In that regard, Guinea-Bissau’s commitment to mobilizing resources to sustain the reforms has led to a decision to create a special pension fund, into which we will have deposited $200,000 of the $500,000 we pledged to the fund by December 2011, as proof of our firm commitment to contributing 10 per cent of the total resources required.”
2011-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 66 (2011)
“And I would like to take this happy occasion to salute the Republic of South Sudan on having joined the United Nations, becoming the Organization’s most recent full Member. Today, 24 September, Guinea-Bissau celebrates the thirty-eighth anniversary of its independence. That historic achievement was the Guinean people’s first major victory, and from this rostrum I pay the homage that is owed to our country’s freedom fighters, whose courage and determination enabled us to attain the status of a free and independent State. As our national authorities have stated and has been unanimously recognized by the international community, defence and security sector reforms are urgent priorities for us, since their implementation can strengthen peace and stability in our country and thus create the conditions needed for sustainable development.”
2011-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 66 (2011)
“I would first like to congratulate Ambassador Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser on his election to the presidency of the General Assembly at its sixty-sixth session, and to express our most sincere wishes for his success in fulfilling his mandate. Similarly, I would like to convey to Mr. Joseph Deiss Guinea-Bissau’s appreciation for the spirit of engagement and dedication he brought to his successful conduct of the work of the sixty-fifth session. Let me also reiterate my congratulations to the Secretary-General, His Excellency Mr. Ban Ki-Moon, on his recent reappointment, the fruit of the excellent 11-51360 12 work he has done to help consolidate peace and development around the world.”
2011-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 66 (2011)
“I leave this podium with a very special expression of our gratitude to all those who have contributed to this normalization, with particular attention, if you will allow me, to all of the members of the Contact Group, the Ad Hoc Advisory Group on Guinea-Bissau, whose mandate was recently terminated, all members of the Security Council, as well as to the Secretary-General and his Representative in Guinea-Bissau. However, the most sublime show of appreciation on our part would be to build a peaceful and prosperous Guinea-Bissau for all its children, which we will strive to do with all our might.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“We will respect all the commitments made by my Government, whether related to peacebuilding, policy dialogue, poverty reduction and the creation of conditions conducive to economic growth and well-being of the Guinean people. I ask the international community and our development partners who believe in our determination to end the cycles of crises and the recurring conflicts in Guinea-Bissau to provide a new opportunity to our country for a true partnership in favour of sustainable development. I want to thank all the friends and partners of Guinea-Bissau for their solidarity and support. I can assure the Assembly that we will spare no efforts and will not be deterred by any obstacles in consolidating peace and political stability, promoting national unity in Guinea-Bissau and creating better living conditions for the Guinean people.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“We are prepared to examine the possibility of the participation of foreign forces in our country in joint surveillance missions monitoring our land and maritime borders as well as our airspace, in order to eradicate organized crime and all forms of trafficking in drugs, weapons and people, from or through the territory of Guinea-Bissau. I would like to state before this Assembly my commitment as Prime Minister and president of the historic party founded by Amilcar Cabral, the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde, to strive to put Guinea-Bissau on the path of peace, national reconciliation and development.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“By taking advantage of our shortcomings in sea and land border control and in our administration structures, which are weak in some regions, and by using sophisticated means, certain groups have introduced drugs into our country with the support received from influential people in the State apparatus. My Government is committed to participating in all programmes and initiatives adopted in the subregion of West Africa to combat drug trafficking and organized crime, as we are convinced of the need to establish mechanisms for coordination and support to fight these scourges.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“We will do everything possible to enable Guinea-Bissau to make strides towards development and the well-being of its people. We are of the opinion that the people of Guinea- Bissau themselves should seek to resolve their internal problems, especially those arising from social, political and military issues. However, one has to recognize that the reasons for the recurrence of the cyclical issues in our country are not only domestic in nature. Factors such as transnational organized crime and drug trafficking, in particular, have contributed to exacerbating the situation in Guinea-Bissau.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“09-52592 10 I should like publicly to express our appreciation to the heads of State of the West African Economic and Monetary Union, Angola, Nigeria, the Leader and Guide of the Great Socialist Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, as well as to the CPLP and the European Union, for their support in covering our budget deficit, which has greatly contributed to the climate of peace in which we now live. Moreover, we acknowledge the presence of South Africa, Brazil and India, which have been contributing significantly to mitigating food shortages in our country through the India, Brazil and South Africa programme. I should like to assure the General Assembly that, in bearing our responsibility for the governance of Guinea-Bissau, we shall strive to continue to merit the trust and support that the international community has granted us.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“Likewise, we welcome the recent decision by the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank to negotiate and conclude a post-conflict programme with our Government, which will soon be joining the Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility, which will enhance cooperation with our key development partners. We hope this new and dynamic level of cooperation will enable us to benefit from the initiative for debt relief under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“A country with such severe shortages as ours should not be abandoned to its fate, given the profound consequences of the political-military conflict of 1998-1999, which continue to affect all socio-economic sectors of Guinea-Bissau. Guinea- Bissau, which once possessed foreign currency reserves enough to provide for six months’ worth of imports and which paid regular wages to its State employees, can no longer honour its commitments because of the war. I am therefore particularly pleased with the position of the African Development Bank, which, understanding the needs of a post-conflict country, turned an important part of the financial resources available to Guinea-Bissau into donations.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“We welcome with satisfaction and encourage the policy of President Obama towards Africa, as recently clarified during his visit to some African countries; it shows concern for the stability of our subregion and of the world at large, and devotes greater attention to the promotion of development. We also welcome with satisfaction the peace initiatives that are under way in the Middle East under his patronage, as well as the United States Administration’s policy towards Cuba; we hope that the embargo against Cuba will be lifted in the near future. We have been asking our development partners for many years for a post-conflict programme for Guinea-Bissau.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“This round table, which we would like to organize under the title of “Reconciliation and Development”, will take into account the new strategic direction advocated by the Security Council, with the transformation of the current United Nations presence in Guinea-Bissau into an integrated mission from January 2010. I believe I am in a position to say that, by working selflessly within this framework and with the resources that we obtain, we will be better able to accomplish the Millennium Development Goals set by the United Nations, in particular with regard to the consolidation of peace and stability in our country.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“It also enabled us, after careful consideration, to determine that the greatest impediment to the development of our country lies in the energy sector. It was concluded that the top priority should be to develop an energy plan that solves this problem definitively. We would therefore like to use this forum to ask our development partners to carry out the interim review of our poverty reduction strategy and its respective programmes as soon as possible so that we can organize, together with our partners, a round table to address the need to strengthen the technical, economic and financial cooperation programmes with our country.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“Aware of these facts, the Government held a round table discussion in Praia, Cape Verde, last May to jointly evaluate the proposed reform programme for the defence and security sectors with the help of our development partners, the United Nations, ECOWAS and the CPLP. The continuation of the reform programme in the military and security forces, within which the establishment of a Special Pensions Fund is planned, specially designed to deal with these issues, can contribute to solving those problems once and for all. My Government has just concluded a thorough assessment of our national poverty reduction strategy. The results of this evaluation allowed us to conclude that we must strengthen our action on all the axes that define the strategy.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“The tenure of the interim president, which has recently ended, was marked by the promotion of a constructive and frank dialogue between civil society and political society, with a particular focus on clarifying the objectives of the defence and security sector reform, which is a crucial pillar for peace and stability in the country. In Guinea-Bissau, the creation of the armed forces preceded the creation of the State itself, and the latter inherited a burden of complex problems in the aftermath of the armed struggle for national liberation. As in other countries with a similar past, the problems associated with this condition are not easy to overcome, especially when facing survival issues that plague all of society.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“Those events caused a serious crisis in my country, which led to a radical change in the priorities of Government policy — specifically, it became necessary to hold presidential elections. However, despite the gravity of the situation, the response of our 9 09-52592 institutions was swift and positive. The President of the People’s National Assembly temporarily assumed the presidency of the Republic, as provided for in the Constitution, and a date was immediately set for the holding of early presidential elections, according to the covenant of understanding among the political parties.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“We want to take advantage of our presence in New York to engage with all those organizations to ensure that conditions that would give a new dynamic to the work of the Committee of Inquiry are established, and we consider the attainment of that objective an essential condition in order to ensure genuine justice and contribute to the consolidation of the democratic rule of law and the protection and promotion of human rights. We seize this opportunity, from this rostrum, to firmly and unequivocally reaffirm that we are against impunity. We will not be a party to it, nor give safe haven to any type of crime. So I can assure you that the Government of Guinea-Bissau will do everything in its power to create the conditions for the Committee to carry out its work in a peaceful, transparent and credible manner.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“In response to that request and on the basis of Security Council resolutions, the Secretary-General urged the Government to continue its own investigation of those crimes, offering, however, to intervene with the African Union, ECOWAS and the CPLP to provide the technical, financial and other types of support that might be necessary. Following that response from the Secretary-General, the Government sent requests for support to those organizations but has not yet received a response. The Government is truly looking forward to any assistance that can be offered by the African Union, ECOWAS and the CPLP.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“The latest crisis situation in Guinea-Bissau resulted in the assassinations of the head of State and the Chief of Staff of the Guinean Armed Forces. Those tragic events surprised and shocked all of Guinean society and the international community. They revealed the vulnerabilities of our rule of law and the weaknesses of the national defence and security system. In addition to strongly condemning those crimes, the Government immediately ordered the establishment of a committee to enable us to find out the truth and hold the perpetrators accountable. Since then, owing to its concerns about the objectivity, transparency and speed of the process, our Government made a request to the Secretary-General that an international inquiry be carried out under the auspices of the United Nations.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“In this regard, I would like to highlight the role and contribution of subregional organizations, such as the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the West African Economic and Monetary Union and the Community of Portuguese-speaking Countries (CPLP), as well as of the African Union and the United Nations, whose constant support has allowed our Government to make substantive progress in the normalization of the country’s political, economic and social life and development. I should like further to highlight the substantial support provided by the European Union during the difficult period we have gone through. In addition, I should like to thank the brothers of the CPLP countries for their continued commitment and solidarity.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“The party that I have the honour to chair, the African Party for the Independence of Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde, has a qualified majority in parliament and in an inclusive Government, and now the President of the Republic is from among its ranks. Never in its history has our country enjoyed such great conditions for stability. We have thus created the conditions for implementing the reforms that the country so pressingly needs, in particular, reform of the public administration, with particular emphasis on the defence and security sectors, as well as public finance reform and the decentralization and modernization of the State apparatus.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“Ban Ki-moon, for his comprehensive report on the work of our Organization and the excellent work he has done to ensure the consolidation of peace and development throughout the world. In particular, I should like to congratulate Mr. Treki for holding the high-level gathering on climate change on 22 September as a prelude to the Copenhagen conference to be held in December. Six months after the crisis caused by the assassination of our President, we have restored constitutional normality, and the organs of State power are in a position to fulfil the role entrusted to them by our Constitution. We have just inaugurated a new President, His Excellency Mr. Malam Bacai Sanhá, who was democratically elected in elections deemed free, fair and transparent by all political parties and candidates and by international observers.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“My first words are to congratulate Mr. Ali Abdussalam Treki on his election to the presidency of the General Assembly at its sixty-fourth session. Aware of his skill and his vast diplomatic experience, we are convinced that this session will be crowned with success. My country, Guinea-Bissau, which has excellent relations of friendship and cooperation with his country, Libya, welcomes his election and assures him of our fraternal cooperation during his term. I wish to congratulate and express the appreciation of Guinea-Bissau to Father Miguel d’Escoto Brockmann for his performance and his dedication to the successful conduct of the work of the 09-52592 8 sixty-third session. I should also like to thank the Secretary-General, His Excellency Mr.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)