President of the Republic Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa speaks on Tuesday on the first day of general debate of the 78th session of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly in New York.
The head of state said his speech would “try to touch on all current issues” in the 15 minutes he has, with a “very strong emphasis on Ukraine” and the global impact of the war caused by Russia’s invasion in February. 24 2022.
“But without ignoring other problems that exist and are fundamental, such as the climate problem, the environment, women’s rights in many parts of the world, the problem of young people who are left behind, minorities, migration,” he added in a preview of his speech in front of reporters on Sunday.
This will be his fifth appearance representing Portugal in the annual general debate between the heads of state and government of the 193 UN member states, which he also participated in in 2016, 2018, 2019 and 2021.
This Tuesday, at the end of the day, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa will be at a reception hosted by North American President Joe Biden for the UN General Assembly.
This year’s general debate between world leaders will be the second since the Russian Federation invaded Ukraine on February 24 last year, starting a war that has lasted more than a year and a half.
According to Marcelo Rebelo de Souza, the fact that Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky will “appear alive to defend his position” at this session of the UN General Assembly will make war in Ukraine “an urgent issue.”
The President of the Republic emphasized that on Wednesday a “so-called open Security Council” would be held, in which he would take part “to discuss only Ukraine.”
The opening of the general debate with speeches by General Assembly President Dennis Francis and UN Secretary-General António Guterres is scheduled for 9:00 a.m. local time (2:00 p.m. Lisbon time).
The first head of state to speak will be Brazilian President Lula da Silva, followed by tradition by the President of the United States of America, the host country, Joe Biden.
According to the planned order of speeches, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa will be the eighth head of state to speak after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and Zelensky will be the 12th.
The 78th session of the UN General Assembly is dedicated to the theme “Restoring trust and reviving global solidarity: accelerating action to achieve the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) towards peace, prosperity, progress and sustainability for all people.”
Marcelo Rebelo de Souza arrived in the United States on Sunday evening, where he will stay until Friday.
Foreign Minister João Gomes Craviño is also in New York for the current session of the UN General Assembly.
On the sidelines of the General Assembly, they will hold bilateral meetings to, among other things, promote Portugal’s candidacy for a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council in the 2027-2028 biennium.
In 2021, speaking at the 76th session of the UN General Assembly, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa said that if Portugal wins these elections to the Security Council, António Guterres’s term as Secretary General of this organization will continue, which ends at the end of 2026 .
The head of state confirmed Portugal’s “full support” for Guterres’ priorities as UN Secretary-General.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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