The head of state spoke at the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Earlier, U.S. President Donald Trump claimed to have ended seven wars without the UN’s help.
In his approximately 20-minute speech, delivered in English, Portuguese, French, and Spanish, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa expressed that the United Nations faces an existential moment requiring change yet emphasized that no other organization could replace it: “No G1, no G2, no G3, no G1+1, 1+2, or 2+1 will be an alternative.”
“Consider the situation in Ukraine or in the Middle East. In Ukraine, for years and now for months, for eight months, we have been waiting for the mediation of the world’s most powerful. Do we have a ceasefire? No, we do not,” he remarked.
“In the case of the Middle East, we waited and waited for intervention by the world’s most powerful. Did we achieve a ceasefire? Without the multipolar and multilateral intervention of many countries, here in New York, recognizing the State of Palestine—some European, others non-European—we would not change so soon,” he added.
Regarding the UN’s role, the head of state argued that the organization needs reform and renewal to avoid being marginalized and replaced by the “law of force,” yet it cannot be questioned.
“We must never forget the lesson of the League of Nations,” he warned.
At this point in his speech, defending the UN and international law, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa condemned those who “abandon principles for sheer ‘realpolitik,’ that is, the power or powers of the moment,” reminding that “no power is eternal, no personality is eternal.”
“Empires have arisen and vanished. We know from experience. Colonial empires, European empires within Europe. All kinds of empires have arisen and vanished,” he emphasized.
Previously, the President praised UN Secretary-General António Guterres, expressing pride in “his humanism, his commitment to international law,” and “notable work.”
The head of state voiced support for the UN80 reform plan and the Pact for the Future, which he described as Guterres’ “trademark and legacy.” He assured that Guterres “will always have Portugal’s support.”
“And I must congratulate him on his speech, because he said: I will never give up. And I have known him since we were teenagers. He never gave up, never. And he is right,” he stated.
[News updated at 10:15 PM]
