Umaro Sissoco Embalo: The world faces great challenges

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Speech by Umaro Sissoco Embalo, President of Guinea-Bissau, at the 79th Session of the UNGA. teleSUR

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00:00We will hear an address by His Excellency Umaro Sissoko Mbalo, President of the Republic of Kinnipisah.

00:14I request protocol to escort His Excellency and invite him to address the Assembly.

00:30Mr. President, Mr. Secretary General, Heads of State and Government, Ladies and Gentlemen,

00:43I would like to offer my congratulations to Mr. Philemon Young of the Republic of Cameroon

00:51on his election as President of the 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly.

00:58I wish him much success in a very complex international context.

01:04I also congratulate his predecessor, Mr. Dennis Francis, for the results achieved during his term.

01:14To Secretary General António Guterres, I express our acknowledgement of his deep commitment

01:21to the service of our common ideals and goals in a very difficult international landscape.

01:31The world faces grave challenges.

01:34The obligation to follow the principles and deliver on the promises of the United Nations Charter

01:42is the burden that each one of us carries.

01:45We witness devastating wars, the intensification of regional tensions

01:52and other grave threats to international peace and security.

01:57Hundreds of millions of people continue to live in extreme poverty

02:02without the basic means of subsistence, without hope for a better future, without human dignity.

02:13It's becoming even more urgent to implement reforms in global economic and financial governance

02:19to make it more just, inclusive and equitable.

02:23This is the only way to build adequate responses to the challenges that humanity faces.

02:31We must fight more efficiently against poverty and social exclusion through concrete actions.

02:39Specifically, we must strive to finance development programmes, reduce inequalities,

02:46protect the environment and mitigate the effects of climate change.

02:53Mr. President, eight decades after the establishment of the UN in 1945,

03:00we live today in a totally different world.

03:04We continue to call for reform of the United Nations Security Council,

03:09which must consider the interests of Africa under the terms of the Esulwini Consensus

03:17and the CIRTA Declaration of Heads of State and Government of the African Union.

03:22We must reform the international financial architecture in order to promote greater inclusion,

03:29particularly in Africa, and to consider the African continent's role and contribution to the world economy.

03:37In this context, we welcome the summit of the future.

03:41We hope that the Compact for the Future can drive collective efforts

03:47to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, SDGs and Agenda 2063, the Africa we want, of the African Union.

03:59As a member of the Global Working Group on Social Protection for Nutrition, Human Capital and Local Economic Development

04:07of the Group of 7+, G7+, we will work together with the other distinguished members

04:15on eradicating hunger and progressively achieving all Sustainable Development Goals, SDGs.

04:24Mr. President, the President of the Republic of Guinea-Bissau,

04:31we are committed to fostering dialogue, national reconciliation, consolidation of democracy and the rule of law,

04:39as well as our country's sustainable development.

04:43Despite the negative impact of the challenging world economic and financial situation,

04:49the economy of Guinea-Bissau continues to grow as a result of sound public policies.

04:55The practice of accountability has provided greater transparency in the state's economic and financial management.

05:05We have adopted measures that, though difficult, were shown to be necessary to drive the private sector

05:13and to create a more solid foundation for an economy that is dynamic and inclusive.

05:19We are promoting greater participation of women and youth entrepreneurs.

05:25We are investing on building and improvement of basic infrastructure, such as roads and other projects.

05:33We declared war on corruption and organized crime.

05:38We were able to restore trust in our relations with international financial institutions

05:44and other bilateral and multilateral partners.

05:48We continue to place faith in strengthening Guinea-Bissau's bonds of friendship and cooperation with the world.

05:56We remain steadfast on the policy of peacebuilding and peaceful resolution of conflicts in West Africa and in the world in general.

06:05It was to this end that in recent months I made visits of friendship and work to Russia, Ukraine, Israel and Palestine.

06:16In this context, I reiterate my call for an end to the unjust and very harmful embargo

06:24that our brothers and sisters in Cuba have been subjected for decades.

06:28Mr. President, distinguished heads of state and government, ladies and gentlemen,

06:34I recently had the honor of serving Africa as president of the Alliance of African Leaders for Malaria.

06:43We made significant progress in a very difficult world environment.

06:47We endeavored to garner support to replenish the global fund.

06:53We worked with the private sector to promote the production of drugs and nets to combat malaria.

07:00We encouraged the transfer of technologies to African companies.

07:05We launched end malaria councils and funds and supported youth movements against malaria.

07:13Despite all the progress achieved, challenges persist.

07:17In the next three years, ALMA will run a $1.5 billion deficit.

07:24Global warming and rains associated with climate change are expanding the geographic reach of mosquitoes,

07:36thus exposing more than 170 million people to the threat of malaria in the African continent.

07:43I take this opportunity to congratulate the Executive Secretariat of ALMA for their remarkable service.

07:49I also thank all of ALMA's partners for their crucial support in the fight against malaria during my term in office.

07:58Mr. President, ladies and gentlemen,

08:01in closing, I would like, on behalf of the population of the Republic of Guinea-Bissau and my own,

08:09I would like to reaffirm our determination to continue to contribute to strengthening the friendship among countries and peoples

08:16to promote international cooperation, multilateralism, the peaceful resolution of conflicts,

08:22the end of wars and suffering of innocent populations towards peace in the world.

08:29I thank you.

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