STATEMENT BY H. E. DILMA ROUSSEFF, PRESIDENT OF THE FEDERATIVE
REPUBLIC OF BRAZIL, AT THE OPENING OF THE GENERAL DEBATE OF THE 68TH
SESSION OF THE UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY
Ambassador John Ashe, President of the 68th session of the United Nations General Assembly,
Mr. Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations,
Heads of State and Government,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Allow
me initially to express my satisfaction in having a renowned
representative of Antigua and Barbuda – a country that is part of the
Caribbean, which is so cherished in Brazil and in our region – to
conduct the work of this session of the General Assembly.
You can count, Excellency, on the permanent support of my Government.
Allow
me also, at the beginning of my intervention, to express the
repudiation of the Brazilian Government and people to the terrorist
attack that took place in Nairobi. I express our condolences and our
solidarity to the families of the victims, the people and the Government
of Kenya.
Terrorism, wherever it may occur and regardless of its
origin, will always deserve our unequivocal condemnation and our firm
resolve to fight against it. We will never give way to barbarity.
Mr. President,
I would like to bring to the consideration of delegations a matter of great importance and gravity.
Recent
revelations concerning the activities of a global network of electronic
espionage have caused indignation and repudiation in public opinion
around the world.
In Brazil, the situation was even more serious,
as it emerged that we were targeted by this intrusion. Personal data of
citizens was intercepted indiscriminately. Corporate information - often
of high economic and even strategic value - was at the center of
espionage activity. Also, Brazilian diplomatic missions, among them the
Permanent Mission to the United Nations and the Office of the President
of the Republic itself, had their communications intercepted.
Tampering
in such a manner in the affairs of other countries is a breach of
International Law and is an affront to the principles that must guide
the relations among them, especially among friendly nations. A sovereign
nation can never establish itself to the detriment of another sovereign
nation. The right to safety of citizens of one country can never be
guaranteed by violating fundamental human and civil rights of citizens
of another country’s citizens. Even worse, when private sector companies
uphold this type of spying activity.
The arguments that the
illegal interception of information and data aims at protecting nations
against terrorism cannot be sustained.
Brazil, Mr. President, knows how to protect itself. We reject, fight and do not harbor terrorist groups.
We
are a democratic country surrounded by nations that are democratic,
peaceful and respectful of International Law. We have lived in peace
with our neighbors for more than 140 years.
As many other Latin
Americans, I fought against authoritarianism and censorship, and I
cannot but defend, in an uncompromising fashion, the right to privacy of
individuals and the sovereignty of my country. In the absence of the
right to privacy, there can be no true freedom of expression and
opinion, and therefore no effective democracy. In the absence of the
respect for sovereignty, there is no basis for the relationship among
Nations.
We face, Mr. President, a situation of grave violation of
human rights and of civil liberties; of invasion and capture of
confidential information concerning corporate activities, and especially
of disrespect to national sovereignty of my country.
We have let
the U.S. government know our disapproval, and demanded explanations,
apologies and guarantees that such procedures will never be repeated.
Friendly
governments and societies that seek to build a true strategic
partnership, as in our case, cannot allow recurring illegal actions to
take place as if they were normal. They are unacceptable.
Brazil,
Mr. President, will redouble its efforts to adopt legislation,
technologies and mechanisms to protect us from the illegal interception
of communications and data.
My Government will do everything
within its reach to defend the human rights of all Brazilians and all
citizens of the world and to protect the fruits borne from the ingenuity
of our workers and our companies.
The problem, however, goes
beyond a bilateral relationship. It affects the international community
itself and demands a response from it. Information and telecommunication
technologies cannot be the new battlefield between States. Time is ripe
to create the conditions to prevent cyberspace from being used as a
weapon of war, through espionage, sabotage, and attacks against systems
and infrastructure of other countries.
The United Nations must
play a leading role in the effort to regulate the conduct of States with
regard to these technologies and the importance of the internet and
social networks as a way to build democracy worldwide.
For this
reason, Brazil will present proposals for the establishment of a
civilian multilateral framework for the governance and use of the
Internet and to ensure the effective protection of data that travels
through the web.
We need to create multilateral mechanisms for the worldwide network that are capable of ensuring principles such as:
1 - Freedom of expression, privacy of the individual and respect for human rights.
2
- Open, multilateral and democratic governance, carried out with
transparency by stimulating collective creativity and the participation
of society, Governments and the private sector.
3 - Universality
that ensures the social and human development and the construction of
inclusive and non-discriminatory societies.
4 - Cultural diversity, without the imposition of beliefs, customs and values.
5
- Neutrality of the network, guided only by technical and ethical
criteria, rendering it inadmissible to restrict it for political,
commercial, religious or any other purposes.
Harnessing the full
potential of the Internet requires, therefore, responsible regulation,
which ensures at the same time freedom of expression, security and
respect for human rights.
Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen,
The choice of the Post-2015 Development Agenda as the theme for this Session of the General Assembly could not be more timely.
The fight against poverty, hunger and inequality constitutes the greatest challenge of our time.
For
this reason, we have adopted a socially inclusive economic model based
on generating employment, strengthening small-scale agriculture,
expanding credit, increasing the value of salaries and developing a vast
social protection network, particularly through the Bolsa Família
("Family Stipend") Program.
Beyond previous achievements, we have lifted 22 million Brazilians out of extreme poverty in only two years.
We
have drastically reduced child mortality. A recent report by UNICEF
indicates that Brazil has promoted one of the most notable reductions of
this indicator in the whole world.
Children are a priority for
Brazil. This is reflected in our commitment to education. We are the
country which has most increased public investment in education,
according to the last OECD report. We have also just approved
legislation which earmarks 75% of all petroleum royalties to education,
and 25% to health services.
Mr. President,
In the debate on the Post-2015 Development Agenda we must focus on the results of Rio+20.
The
major step taken in Rio de Janeiro was to place poverty in the center
of the sustainable development agenda. Poverty is not a problem
exclusive to developing countries, and environmental protection is not a
goal to achieve merely once poverty is overcome.
The meaning of the Post-2015 Agenda is about building a world in which it is possible to grow, include, conserve and protect.
By
promoting, Mr. President, social ascension and overcoming extreme
poverty, as we are doing, we have created an immense contingent of
citizens with better quality of life, increased access to information
and greater awareness of their rights.
Citizens with new hopes, new desires and new demands.
The June demonstrations in Brazil, are an inseparable part of our process of building of our democracy and of social change.
My
Government did not repress them, on the contrary, we listened to and
understood the voices from the streets. We listened and understood
because we ourselves came from the streets.
We were educated day to day by the great struggles of Brazil. The street is our ground, our base.
The
protesters did not ask to return to the past. Rather, they did ask for
further progress towards a future of greater rights, participation and
social gains.
In Brazil, It was during this decade that we
promoted the greatest reduction in social inequality in the last 50
years. It was during this decade that we created a system of social
protection which permitted us to nearly eradicate extreme poverty.
We
know that democracy generates more desire for democracy. Social
inclusion demands further social inclusion. Quality of life awakens the
yearning for more quality of life.
For us, progress achieved is always just a beginning. Our development strategy demands more, as desired by all Brazilians.
We
cannot just listen, we must act. We must transform this extraordinary
energy of the demonstrations into achievements for everyone.
For
this reason, I have launched 5 major pacts: the pact Against Corruption
and for Political Reform; the Urban Mobility pact, geared towards the
improvement of public transportation and urban reform; the Education
pact, our great passport to the future, which will be supported by
royalties and the social fund from oil resources; a Health pact which
provides for doctors to assist Brazilians in the poorest and most remote
regions of the country; and the Fiscal Responsibility pact, to
guarantee the economic viability of this new stage.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Although
the most acute phase of the crisis is behind us, the situation of the
world economy remains fragile, with unacceptable levels of unemployment.
ILO Statistics point out there are more than 200 million unemployed people throughout the world.
This phenomenon affects populations of both developed and developing countries.
This
is the right time to strengthen the trends for growth in the world’s
economy. Trends that are now pointing to signs of recovery.
Emerging
countries cannot alone guarantee the resumption of global growth. More
than ever, it is necessary to coordinate actions in order to reduce
unemployment and reestablish the momentum of international trade. We are
all in the same boat.
My country is restoring economic growth
despite the impact of the international crisis over the last years. We
rely on three important elements: i) a commitment to solid macroeconomic
policies; ii) the continuation of successful social inclusion policies;
iii) the adoption of measures to increase our productivity and,
therefore, our international competitiveness.
We are committed to
stability, to controlling inflation, to improving the quality of public
spending and to maintaining optimal fiscal performance.
We reiterate our support, Mr. President, for the reform of the Internacional Monetary Fund (IMF).
Governance
of the Fund should reflect the weight of emerging and developing
countries in the world economy. Delaying this reform will further reduce
the Fund’s legitimacy and effectiveness.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The year 2015 will mark the 70th anniversary of the United Nations and the 10th anniversary of the 2005 World Summit.
It will be the occasion to carry out the urgent reform we have been calling for since that Summit.
It
is imperative to avoid the collective defeat of reaching 2015 without a
Security Council capable of fully exerting its responsibilities in
today's world.
The limited representation of the UN Security
Council is an issue of grave concern, considering the challenges posed
by the 21st century.
The immense difficulty in offering a solution
to the Syrian crisis and the paralysis in addressing the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict exemplify this concern.
In dealing with important issues, the recurring polarization between permanent members generates a dangerous paralysis.
We
must provide the Council with voices that are at once independent and
constructive. Only the expansion of the number of permanent and non
permanent members and the inclusion of developing countries in both
categories will correct the Council’s deficit of representation and
legitimacy.
Mr. President,
The General Debate offers the
opportunity to reiterate the fundamental principles which guide my
country's foreign policy and our position with regards to pressing
international issues. We are guided by the defense of a multilateral
world, ruled by international law, by the primacy of peaceful solutions
to conflicts and by the quest for a more compassionate and just order -
both economically and socially.
The crisis in Syria moves us and
is cause for indignation. Two and a half years of lives lost and
widespread destruction have caused the greatest humanitarian disaster of
the century.
Brazil, which has in Syrian descent an important component of our nationality, is profoundly involved with this drama.
We
must stop the death of innocent civilians, of children, women and the
elderly. We must cease the use of arms - conventional or chemical, by
the government or the rebels.
There is no military outcome. The only solution is through negotiation, dialogue and understanding.
The
decision of Syria to adhere to the Chemical Weapons Convention and to
immediately apply its provisions is of great importance.
This
measure is instrumental to overcome the conflict and to contribute to a
world free of those arms. Their use, I repeat, is heinous and
inadmissible under any circumstances.
For this reason, we support
the agreement reached between the United States and Russia for
elimination of Syrian chemical weapons. It is up to the Syrian
government to implement this agreement fully, cooperatively and in good
faith.
Whatever the case, we repudiate unilateral interventions
contrary to International Law, without Security Council authorization,
which would only worsen the political instability of the region and
increase human suffering.
In the same vein, a durable peace
between Israel and Palestine takes on new urgency in view of the changes
occurring in the Middle East.
The time has come to heed to the legitimate aspirations of Palestinians for an independent and sovereign state.
The time has also come to realize the wide international consensus in favor of the two state solution.
The
current negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians should bring
about practical and significant results towards an agreement.
Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen,
The
history of the twentieth century shows that forsaking multilateralism
is a prelude to wars and the consequent human misery and devastation.
It also shows that the promotion of multilateralism brings benefits on ethical, political and institutional levels.
I
renew, thus, an appeal in favor of a wide and vigorous convergence of
political wills to sustain and reinvigorate the multilateral system, in
the United Nations its main pillar.
At its creation, much hope was raised that humanity could overcome the wounds of the Second World War.
That it would be possible to rebuild, from the wreckage and bloodshed, a new world of freedom, solidarity and prosperity.
We all have the responsibility of keeping this fertile and generous hope alive.
Thank you ladies and gentlemen.
Bron:
Braziliaanse ministerie van Buitenlandse Zaken
