AT THE
g7+ MINISTERIAL MEETING
OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
Your Excellency, Kenyeh Barlay, Minister of Planning and Economic Development of Sierra Leone and Chair of the Group of Seven Plus (g7+);
Your Excellency Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão, Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of Timor Leste;
Your Excellency, Bendito dos Santos Freitas, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Timor Leste, Host of g7+;
Your Excellency Dr. Helder Costa, Secretary-General of the g7+,
Thank you and your dedicated team for tirelessly working day and night for the cause of g7+ countries.
Madam Chair,
Excellencies,
All protocols observed.
His Excellency, Carlos Pinto Pereira, Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and Communities of the Republic of Guinea-Bissau could not attend this meeting, due to prior commitments.
He entrusted me with conveying to you, and through you to all delegations in attendance, his greetings and best wishes for a successful meeting.
My delegation is grateful to the Government and People of Timor Leste and the g7+ secretariat for the warm welcome and hospitality.
Enduring relations of cooperation exist between Guinea-Bissau and Timor Leste, which go back to the crucible times of the two countries struggle for statehood. The relations between the two countries are deeply rooted in shared history, language and culture.
Excellencies,
The meeting and its theme “Fifteen Years of Unity. Shaping the Future of Peace and Resilience in g7+ Countries” are timely.
For we are gathered here at a time of geopolitical tensions, shifting power dynamics that undermine international cooperation and disproportionately affect the g7+ countries.
The international community should not continue business as usual. We should continue joining efforts to achieve the long overdue reforms of global governance.
The Security Council and the International Financial Institutions require a more equitable representation and participation in their decision-making process to be able to effectively face the realities and challenges of today. Especially the realities and needs of conflict-affected countries.
The voice of our Group—representing a population of over 1.5 billion from Africa, Asia-Pacific, Middle East and the Caribbean—must continue to be heard in this regard.
For it carries first-hand experience of 20 conflict-affected countries on national, regional and international engagements regarding peace, development, resilience and human dignity.
In this regard, Guinea-Bissau commends the leadership of Sierra Leone in the Security Council, particularly the pertinence of the debate held under its presidency.
Madam Chair,
Excellencies,
Moving forward, we should seize the momentum of the Pact for the Future as it mutually reinforces with the Sustainable Development Goals, notably goal 16, the establishment of which our group successfully advocated for. “Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions” has become a motto in the global dialogue for peace and development.
Madam Chair,
Experience has taught us that in the increasingly interdependent and interconnected world we live in, solidarity is a necessity. Surely, a moral imperative.
g7+’s approach of we are in this together is the right approach. You are on your own is a losing proposition. A losing proposition at national, regional and international level.
With engagements under the New Deal principles, including country-led and country-owned solutions, the g7+ countries stood together and made progress in sustaining peace over the last 15 years.
But progress can suffer relapses, if not nurtured.
Sustaining gains of national reconciliation, peacebuilding and state building in the context of fragility require sustained leaderships and committed partnerships.
And, of course, ensuring much needed concessional financing, debt restructuring, and increase in climate financing for our conflict-affected countries.
It is against this backdrop, which I think many g7+ countries share, that Guinea-Bissau is working with peace and development partners in the face of national challenges and priorities. I will mention a few:
- Inclusive dialogue and reconciliation to ensure political stability, especially in the context of the upcoming general elections scheduled for 23 November this year in the country.
- Peacebuilding and state building, with focus on institutional reforms, including the security sector and the judiciary to better face the threats of transnational organized crime and drug trafficking and combat corruption.
- Strengthen national cohesion and create opportunities for entrepreneurship and employment, with focus on women and youth. Many government projects are being carried out in this regard, including investment in infrastructure to create a conducive environment for the private sector.
Guinea-Bissau wishes to seize this opportunity to express its gratitude to development partners and g7+ for their cooperation and support.
In this context, Guinea-Bissau welcomes the upcoming Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development and hopes its proceedings and outcome will help to further mobilize political will and pave the way for financing inclusive prosperity in our countries.
Madam Chair,
Excellencies,
Guinea-Bissau remains confident that g7+ countries standing together—as we did over the last 15 years—united in resilience, peer learning and fragile-to fragile cooperation–with support of our partners– we can build peace, with strong state institutions and usher in lasting progress in our conflict-affected countries.
Thank you