Former Portuguese Prime Minister António Costa today defended “governance on a global scale that is more democratic” in the face of new universal challenges, supporting reforms proposed by António Guterres at the United Nations.
“It is absolutely essential that we look at the United Nations and the proposals that Secretary-General António Guterres has put forward for its internal reorganization” and for “reforming the international financial system”, said António Costa, speaking remotely at an international conference on democracy, taking place on the island of Sal, Cape Verde.
Costa pointed out this need in the face of the blockade at the United Nations.
“We look with disgust at the way the United Nations system is blocked by the fact that one of its permanent veto-wielding members is itself the perpetrator of a gross violation of international law by invading Ukraine,” he said.
On the other hand, he considered it “unbearable to see how Israel has been exercising its legitimate right to defence and sovereignty, the right to fight a terrorist organization, with an excess of violence and inhuman brutality that has hit the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip, also in the face of the impotence of the United Nations”.
“We need to strengthen the United Nations’ capacity to intervene,” he said.
António Costa also highlighted the need to fight inequality.
“Democracy has to be global and we have to reduce inequalities in each country if we want to strengthen democracy,” otherwise asymmetries foster populism, he said.
In an optimistic tone, the former Prime Minister concluded his speech by saying that “democracies are more resilient than you think” and gave the example of Senegal, with the recent election of Diomaye Faye as the new President.
Costa spoke at the conference on “Freedom, Democracy and Good Governance” after the presentation of a video message by Volodymyr Zelensky, President of Ukraine, in which he called for “global solidarity” to “put pressure on those who threaten everyone’s life”, in this case Russia.
For his part, the Ukrainian President defended the export of Ukrainian grain in order to avoid food insecurity in other parts of the world and at the same time prevent instability.
The principle was that what is happening in Ukraine “should not be repeated anywhere in the world”.
Around 20 speakers are on the programme for the international conference on “Freedom, Democracy and Good Governance” organized by the archipelago’s government today and Tuesday on the island of Sal.
At the end, the Sal Declaration on the protection of human rights, the promotion of freedoms and good governance in Africa and the world will be presented.
