Rep0blica Dem0cr tica de S.

T0m6 e Principe

Statement by His Excellency President Evaristo do Espirito Santo Carvalho at

the 72rid Session of the United Nations General Assembly

Mister President of the 72nd Session of the General Assembly of the United
Nations

Excellency Mr Secretary-General of the United Nations,

Heads of State and Government

Excellencies, Ministers of Foreign Affairs and External Affairs

Distinguished delegates,

Excellencies,

It is with a great honor and satisfaction that I take the floor at the General
Assembly, for the first time, as Head of State of the Democratic Republic of Sÿo
Tomÿ and Principe. The 2016's elections, which elected me, witnessed once
again, in an expressive and unequivocal way, the level of democracy in Sÿo Tomÿ
and Principe and the regular functioning of its institutions.

At the outset, allow me to dedicate, with great pleasure, my first words to His
Excellency Miroslav Lajdÿk, whom ! congratulate on his election to the Presidency
of the 72nd General Assembly of the United Nations, conveying our full support
for his mandate and wishing that it will be very successful.

I would also like to Congratulate the outgoing President, His Excellency Peter
Thomson for the manner in which he conducted the work of the previous General
Assembly, judiciously, with enthusiasm and unselfishness, in an international
context that has posed serious challenges to our Organization.

I also take the opportunity of such noble audience to address Your Excellency the
Secretary General Ant6nio Guterres and congratulate you for your brilliant
victory, insofar as your political clout is indisputable to lead
the United Nations and deal with the multiple global challenges, in the pursue of
the necessary reform of the Organization, including its Security Council, and the
efforts to promote peace, sustainable development and human rights.

Mr. President

The current challenges facing our peoples and countries, in the face of a complex
international environment, forces us to deepen the guiding spirit that
underscores the creation of our Organization, as the ultimate and global
guarantor to seek for peaceful, lasting solutions, consensual and legitimized by
international laws, sothat we may attain the desired objectives of peace, security,
stability and progress of all Humanity.

As such, this "is a sovereign occasion, so that together we can continue our
reflection, in order to strengthen the role of this Organization.

To that end, it is therefore urgent to carry out essential reforms that respond to
the dynamics of today's globalized world, that is, to enable the different
specialized agencies, that make up the United Nations, to act swiftly and
effectively, in a process which is intended to be inclusive of all nations, as
reflected in this important document, such as the Charter of San Francisco, signed
on June 26, 1945.

On the other hand, we must reinforce the awareness for the need to implement
mechanisms that allow for greater inclusion in decision-making and strategic
planning, which are the guiding principles of international finarÿcial institutions,
namely the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.

We firmly believe that this is the only way for the economies of developing
countries to be able to faster integrate the global development process, whose
benefits are not yet fully reflected in our own countries, while allowing for the
renewal and strengthening of the credibility of these institutions, which we
consider to be of central importance to) the functioning of the global financial
system and to support our economic growth efforts aimed at the social and
human development of our populations.

Mr. President
The theme proposed for this Session, "Focusing on people: striving for peace and
a decent life for all on a sustainable planet" fits perfectly into the reality of the
moment we live in and aligns with the challenges we face, in search of a better
world.

Thus, because the primary focus of any national, regional or international policy is
to prioritize the people and their yearnings for a better life, as well as the
continuous improvement of the mechanisms needed to meet those goals.

The effort for world peace is urgent and encompasses fundamental values, which
we are sure we all stand for and Strive to achieve. The serious conflicts which
trouble the world are a constant concern, and its harmful consequences for the
well-being of humanity, for the balance of relations between our nations and for
our economic, social and human development, cannot but be strongly
condemned by all of us without exceptions.

The divisions we are now seeing are, in our view, the result of the lack of a
sincere, comprehensive and thoughtful dialogue between all parties. It is not
possible to accept that in the name of religious fanaticism, isolationism, populist
rhetoric misplaced in our time, I would even say of selfishness in accepting and
living with the differences of others, continue to result in so much discord,
aggravating tensions and the curtailing of so many lives, among them those of
our children who, well cared for, represent the real future of our planet.

Therefore we call for dialogue, emphasizing the central mediating role of our
Organization, to cease the tensions on the Korean Peninsula. It is also necessary
for weapons to cease in Syria, where people live permanently under the threat of
bombs that have destroyed the country and torn its social fabric, while claiming
so many innocent lives. There is also a need to accelerate the process of dialogue
and concord in the Middle East, to which we once again make the strongest
appeal from this podium to find a peaceful and negotiated solution respecting
the right of the Palestinian people to conduct their own destiny, thus respecting
the basic principles of the United Nations.

Similarly, there is an urgent need to find a solution at the negotiating table for
the tensions in Ukraine, the Western Sahara issue and our brother country, the
Republic of Guinea-Bissau, whom we greet warmly and wish that their institutions
regain a rapid and regular functioning.
Even though the recent Ministerial Meeting of the African initiative for Peace and
National Reconciliation in the Central African Republic, which took place in the
Gabonese Republic on 17 July, has taken a step in the right direction, we have
followed with great concern the deterioration of the security situation with
incalculable humanitarian consequences, sadly pointing to a situation of
genocide, thus our appeal goesfor the need that efforts should be made to avoid
another humanitarian disaster in that African country.

Mr. President

We cannot but deplore the terrorist acts that unfortunately keep on claiming out
so many lives in the whole world. The barbarity and disrespect for the precious
good that is human life, committed through these indescribable acts, appalling
and inhumane, Warrant our firmest and vehement condemnation.

In this regard, we underline the atrocities committed by Boko Haram group,

among others, in our neighboring and sister country Nigeria, which has been
leading to instability in the whole region and a severe slow-down to the
implementation of sustainable development policies, with undeniable echo in the
deterioration of the safety of the Gulf of Guinea, where maritime piracy acts and
illegal activities associated with it have distressed our region.

The Democratic Republic of Sÿo Tom6 and Principe as a pacific, democratic and
open to dialogue State will always stand side by side with its regional and
international partners in all the initiatives that aim at eradicating this
phenomenon from our societies.

Mr. President

If, as the theme of this Session invokes us, we really want to create the conditions
for people tO lead decent lives, it is urgent to address the problem of migratory
crises. Every day we are confronted with the tragedies that are afflicting
thousands of people who, escaping conflicts and the conditions of misery that
affect their countries, risk, in poor conditions, perishing in trips in precarious
circumstances, in search of a better life. There shouldn't be any doubt that no one
leaves their homeland, facing these risks, spontaneously.

There is a civic, ethical and moral responsibility to welcome these people,

providing them with the indispensable humanitarian assistance, but also to create
the conditions for mitigating this phenomenon inthe countries of origin. This
involves the adoption of concerted policies for the reception of refugees, as well
as to provide support for countries of origin, to evolve in an environment of
peace and stability, providing the necessary conditions for their populations to
take part in the life projects they choose.

We also underlined the important work of the Global Forum on Migration and
Development, under the shared presidency of Germany and Morocco, which
began in January of this year and will run until the end of 2018, whose
contributions to the United Nations Global Compact for Migration, we are
convinced, will lead to this much-desired policy of improved global migration, to
be adopted by the community of States in 2018.

We also welcome the recent French initiative which brought together a

European-Africa joint mini-summit held in Paris at the end of August, with the
aim of finding ways to overcome Africa's significant migratory flow to Europe,
which has transformed the Mediterranean Sea into an authentic cemetery.

I cannot fail to mention the Sustainable Development Goals, whose priorities go

directly to the core of what we have been expressing. Eradication of poverty and
hunger; the promotion of social and economic development; the protection of
the rights of all, gender equality and the empowerment of women; combating
climate change; access to quality services and special attention to vulnerable
groups. If achieved, as we believe, then .we will be able to see a positive evolution
of the living conditions of our nations, so let us all work to that end.

In this regard, we highlight the efforts of the African Union, enshrined in the
guidelines of the important and ambitious Agenda 2063, the implementation and
success of which will contribute greatly to making these objectives more easily
reachable. This is without a doubt an inclusive document, based on the cultural
specificities of each country, which consciously demand from our governments a
very clear commitment to its success.

Mr. President

As successful as we are atachieving the goals for peace, stability and progress on
a world scale, none of this will make any sense if we do not know how to take
care of our planet. Combating the phenomenon of climate change is perhaps the
most complex objective for which all humanity is called upon to intervene. The
success of this fight is perhaps the greatest legacy we can leave to future
generations.

In this context, the Paris Agreement is a historic and broad-based consensus on

the challenges we face in this area and the financial and technological means to
overcome them. However, the proposed measures are yet to be implemented.
Every day we postpone this issue, more of our planet suffers. Increasingly
extreme weather events cause irreparable damage to our ecosystem and life on
Earth. I thus appeal to your political boldness, without prejudice to the
understanding that each one should contribute according to the principles of
common equity and responsibilities, while differentiated.

Sÿo Tomÿ and Principe, a small developing island state, has spared no effort in
this regard and I want to assure you of our firm commitment to be at the
forefront of implementing climate change mitigation measures.

However, it should be noted that, along with so many other countries, funding
for such measures lacks the support of the international community. Cooperation
Agreements should be established with ambitious funding for climate issues, as
well as ensuring effective and efficient transfer of technology by the more
developed countries.

As you know, our economy is extremely vulnerable, depending on almost 90% of

Official Development Assistance. In a context of international financial
containment, it becomes necessary to think and design alternative ways of
addressing such complexity. It was with this in mind that the current government
decided to implement an ambitious transforming agenda for the 2030 horizon,
fundamentally aimed at changing the paradigm of growth and economic and
social development policies in Sÿo Tomÿ and Pr[ncipe, with a strategic focus on
the private sector of our economy. This new strategic direction, in what concerns
its guidelines, is in perfect harmony with the aspirations of both the Sustainable
Development Goals and the African Union Agenda 2063.

We hold the belief and have the ambition of its success, but we wil! not be able
to do it without the strong support of our traditional partners as well as the
international community.

In this regard, I would like to remind you that, based on the principle of
recognition of "Orÿe China", the Government of the Democratic Republic of Sÿo
Tomÿ and Principe re-established, at the end of last year, diplomatic ties with the
People's Republic of China, which, we are certain, will contributed to the
strengthening of the family of the strategic partners with which we intend to
follow the difficult paths of development that we have proposed through our
Transformation Agenda by the year 2030.

In supporting also the development efforts of Cuba's friendly people, we wish to

renew our call for the efforts to the normalization of their relations with the
United States of America so that as soon as possible we can watch the lifting of
the embargo which has for decades been an obstacle to the country's progress.

Mr. President

In the era of the proliferation of technological means at the disposal of mankind,

our societies, ever more attentive and informed, demand a renewed effort in the
accomplishment of the noble mission of our Organization.

Let us therefore seek inspiration in its founding principles, in the quest for the
peaceful resolution of conflicts; in humanitarian support to all those who need it;
in the promotion of inclusive and constructive dialogue; in the protection of our
ecosystem and in the promotion and guarantee of Human Rights, so necessary
for the harmonious development of our nations.

The Democratic Republic of %o Tomÿ and Pr[ncipe will continue to fight for such
ideals, joining forces and willpowers for its materialization.

Thank you for your attention