United Nations Security Council
Mozambique’s candidacy for a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council for the term 2023-2024
Membro Não-Permanente do Conselho de Segurança das Nações Unidas
Presidency of the Republic
SPEECH BY HIS EXCELLENCE FILIPE JACINTO NYUSI,
PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF MOZAMBIQUE, ON THE OCCASION OF THE
OFFICIAL LAUNCH OF MOZAMBIQUE'S CANDIDACY FOR NON-PERMANENT MEMBER OF THE UNITED NATIONS SECURITY COUNCIL
MAPUTO, 16 SEPTEMBER 2021
Prime Minister;
Honourable President of the Supreme Court;
Honourable President of the Constitutional Council;
Honourable Ombudsman;
Mr. Joaquim Alberto Chissano, Former President of the Republic;
Ministers;
Mr. Secretary of State for the City of Maputo;
Mr. Mayor of Maputo City;
Members of the Diplomatic Corps;
Distinguished Deans of Universities Eduardo Mondlane, Joaquim
Chissano and Politécnica;
Representatives of Civil Society;
Dear fellow Mozambicans;
Ladies and Gentlemen!
It is with great honour that I come here today to share with all my fellow Mozambicans, from Rovuma to Maputo, from Zumbo to the Indian Ocean and in the diaspora, and to all who are listening to us in the country and abroad, the decision of Mozambique to present its candidacy for non-permanent member of the Security Council of the United Nations for the 2023-2024 term.
Our country's candidacy to one of the most important bodies of the United Nations begins to take shape in this ceremony that also aims to launch the campaign for our Candidacy.
The Security Council has the primary responsibility for maintaining international peace and security. Therefore, this body possesses, under the United Nations Charter, the authority and power to act on behalf of all its members, which are currently 193 states from all corners of the world.
We took this decision, for the first time in the history of Mozambique, as an independent and sovereign state. We do this because our country has always attached special importance to this universal Organization for the role it has played, since the times of our liberation struggle to the present.
Before our independence, the United Nations was a privileged forum for affirming our right to self-determination and independence.
From their pulpit, our leaders of the liberation movement, especially the founder of our Organization, President Eduardo Mondlane, preached to the whole world the justice of our cause and the legitimacy of our struggle.
Once national independence was proclaimed, we laid the foundations for a fruitful and multifaceted cooperation with the United Nations that continues to this day, now that we are a full member of that Organization, rightfully admitted by the Security Council.
As far as the United Nations family is concerned, Mozambique stands out for its multiple participations in various United Nations Agencies, Programmes and Funds, and the evaluation of the results is unquestionably positive for our country. As a result, the country has received several invitations to pioneer various initiatives carried out by that Universal Organization.
From the rich history of this relationship, it is also worth recalling that the United Nations Security Council was closely linked to the peace process in Mozambique.
Following the signing of the General Peace Agreement, in Rome, on October 4, 1992, this body deliberated for the authorization and placement of the United Nations Peacekeeping Operation in Mozambique, hereinafter referred to as ONUMOZ.
As it is widely known, this operation was in our country until December 1995, when their work ended. Largely, thanks to the engagement and active participation of our people, this mission was applauded and hailed as a great success and as an exemplary mission.
Dear fellow Mozambicans;
Ladies and Gentlemen!
Despite the adversities, Mozambique created bridges, increased win-win partnerships, and distanced itself from disputes and always tried to help build consensus.
This path led to many sympathies and partnerships at international level, both in bilateral and multilateral relations, with maturity, during the 46 years of its existence as an independent nation.
Our journey as a sovereign country is marked by many challenges, given the geo-political and geo-strategic environment.
With humbleness, we have always managed to ensure that the peace, security and stability of States are at the heart of the international system, maintaining the necessary bridge with the interests of the Republic of Mozambique beyond its borders.
Mozambique's participation as a non-permanent member of the Security Council has a profound symbolism, as it constitutes the climax of an important stage in foreign policy and of our affirmation, as a sovereign State, in the concert of nations.
Ladies and Gentlemen!
It is our duty to inform the country and the world that the election of Mozambique to the Security Council is scheduled for the month of June 2022.
It also constitutes the consecration of the role of Mozambican diplomacy, whose trajectory, between glories and bumps, has over time made Mozambique more visible in the international arena, as a peace-loving country and a defender of the prosperity of the people.
The success of our election will allow our country to join the team of 15 members of that body, specifically as part of the 10 non-permanent members that join the permanent members, namely, China, United States, France, United Kingdom and Russia, and serving a 2-year term.
Once the election of Mozambique is consummated, the aforementioned two-year term to which we aspire, will begin on January 1, 2023, ending on December 31, 2024.
Currently, our candidacy enjoys the unanimous support and endorsement by the 15 members of SADC and the 54 member states of the African Union. In addition, there is a wide expression of sympathy and encouragement from friendly countries on the other continents, including CPLP member countries.
However, we believe that more work is needed to widen and consolidate the circle of support and to gather the greatest possible consensus around the candidacy of our country, known throughout the world as a lover of peace and of the freedom of people, as well as faithfully abiding by the United Nations Charter.
Hence, the responsibility we undertake to serve on the Security Council is not limited to defending Mozambique's interests.
We will also serve on behalf and in the interest of Africa as a whole, the developing countries and the entire world that flagship peace and security.
It is primarily the African peace and security agenda that will guide us. We identify with it and, therefore, we will embrace it once our place on the Security Council is guaranteed.
It is the agenda of peace and security in our continent and in the world, the agenda of the fierce fight against terrorism and the eradication of armed conflicts, as well as the agenda of sustainable development of our countries and peoples.
Dear fellow Mozambicans;
The decision of Mozambique's candidacy as a non-permanent member of the Security Council reflects our full adherence to the principles and objectives enshrined in the United Nations Charter.
It is in perfect harmony with the precepts of our Constitution, which, in its article 22, advocates that “the Republic of Mozambique pursues a policy of peace, only resorting to force in case of legitimate defence”.
In this context, our decision also bears witness to the maturity of Mozambique's diplomacy and the growth of Mozambique's collective awareness that, in matters of international peace and security, Mozambique has a contribution to offer the world, in line with its experience and commitment.
In fact, we contributed, with our blood, to the total liberation of Southern Africa and we provided engaged and solidary support to other peoples for their self-determination and independence, peace, and democracy.
It should be recalled that, at the service of the United Nations Security Council, Mozambique has already integrated peacekeeping missions in Burundi, East Timor, Comoros, Darfur, Sudan, South Sudan, Guinea-Bissau, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Since our independence, we have always affirmed, as a priority of our foreign policy, our commitment to be a country that defends the independence, peace and prosperity of the peoples, building solid bridges, making more friends and increasing mutually beneficial partnerships.
On this note, it is also worth noting the conclusion of the Nkomati Agreement, which aimed at a relatively peaceful coexistence between two neighbouring states with different ideologies and perspectives at that time, without hindering the solidarity duty of Mozambique in relation to the just struggle of the Southern African people.
As part of this permanent desire to see the country, the region, and the world at peace, on 4 October 1992 the General Peace Agreement was signed in Rome by the then President of Mozambique, Joaquim Alberto Chissano and the RENAMO leader, Afonso Dhlakama, together with representatives of the international mediators, putting an end to 16 years of armed conflict, rewarding our intense diplomatic action and capacity for dialogue.
Also, with the aim of deepening harmony and reconciliation among Mozambicans, on August 6, 2019, highlighting the primacy of dialogue for the settlement of disputes, we signed, in Maputo, the Accord for Peace and National Reconciliation between the Government of Mozambique and Renamo, a memorable act that was witnessed by the international community.
The agreement reached not only resulted in the historic revision of our Constitution, which deepened democracy by introducing the consensus model for decentralisation, but also allowed remarkable progress in the Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration (DDR) process of our brothers, the former Renamo guerrillas.
In this journey towards Definitive Peace, which Mozambicans have been building, we had the honour of having the support of the Secretary General of the United Nations, António Guterres, directly and through his Personal Envoy, we also have the support of the Diplomatic International Community, accredited in Mozambique on behalf of its peoples and countries.
These results illustrate the capacity of Mozambicans to anticipate scenarios and to reconcile with ideologies, sometimes dissonant, with supreme goal of defending and promoting the national interest.
We remain indebted to the work of the Security Council for the set of decisions, resolutions and actions aimed at containing and, perhaps, preventing conflicts in Africa, a continent whose affairs occupy over 60% of the agenda of this important United Nations body.
In the region and on the African continent, we have always been at the epicentre of political-diplomatic concertation. We have participated in joint efforts at regional, continental, and international levels, with states such as Frontline Countries, SADC, OAU/AU, Non-Aligned Movement, Group of 77+ China, to name a few.
It was in the same spirit that Mozambique joined other international organizations such as the Commonwealth, the IORA, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. In recent years, we have actively participated in the negotiations that resulted in the adoption of the Treaty of Paris.
Mozambicans and Mozambicans;
Distinguished Guests!
This ceremony to launch the Campaign takes place at a special moment in Mozambique's history, when we celebrate 46 years of independence, a period during which we have never had the privilege of participating in this prestigious body as a member, for weighty reasons, to give back and embrace our responsibility, making our contribution to the promotion and consolidation of international peace and security.
It also comes at a time when Mozambique was elected last June as Vice President of the 76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, a position we will hold from September 2021 to September 2022.
Our commitment to Peace is total and unwavering. Time and time again, the country has lent its strengths, either on behalf of the State or individually, to mitigate conflict and/or find negotiated solutions to conflicts.
Our commitment to the peace agenda within the Security Council is all that drives us because we know how harmful the absence of peace is and how beneficial harmony is.
Finally, I must assure you that we take our candidacy very seriously because it is the result of our duty, once elected, to serve the United Nations Security Council with great responsibility.
Therefore, I am here on behalf of the Mozambican People and Government, and in my own name, to call for the vote of each Member State to ensure the election of Mozambique to serve the world in this important body - the United Nations Security Council, for the period 2023-2024.
Thank you very much!