The world has just celebrated the turn of the year 2020. This year will figure in the annals of history as a special year. It brought huge pain and suffering with it to all the inhabitants of the planet due to the prevalence of the Covid-19 pandemic. Many may recall the celebrated English poet, John Donne, who proclaimed in his beautiful poem that “no man is an island”. In the 17th century, he sang, with mystical beauty, the global dimension of pain and suffering and the sacred value of solidarity and the uniqueness of mankind.

Mozambique is also not an island. It is, following the poet’s words, a part of the whole. Like many, our country is experiencing its share of this planetary tragedy. It is among the countries in the frontline fighting and mitigating the harmful effects of this terrible evil that is plaguing its people and the world as a whole.

But this tragedy, no matter how serious and heart-breaking, does not make Mozambicans a people without history.

Treating our sick, healing our wounds and burying our dead, we solemnly celebrated the 45th anniversary of our independence. And, moreover, we mark, with rightful pride, the 100th anniversary of the birth of the great icon of African nationalism, the founder of the Mozambican nation and the architect of national unity, Professor Doctor Eduardo Chivambo Mondlane.

Putting historical events in perspective, it is worth remembering that Mozambique became independent in June 1975, when the United Nations was just 30 years old. Our country thus celebrated its 45th anniversary under the sign of the 75th anniversary of the United Nations.

And it is worth stating here that Prof. Dr. Eduardo Chivambo Mondlane was also a senior United Nations official. He voluntarily abdicated his promising career to unite Mozambicans, from Rovuma to Maputo, and to lead the national liberation struggle. He was a visionary leader, a fearless fighter and a high-profile diplomat.

There is, therefore, a strong historical link between Mozambique and the United Nations, a link that goes beyond the veil of our allegiance to this organization, as an independent and sovereign state. The bond of values and ideals that presided over the creation of the universal Organization were also at the heart of our struggle for liberation and for the establishment of the Mozambican state, currently a prestigious member of the United Nations.

In this regard, it is worth mentioning that, in December 2020, upon receiving the credential letters of new Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Mozambique in the United Nations, the Secretary General of the United Nations, His Excellency António Guterres, said, loud and clear, that Mozambique was a pillar of multilateralism, in Africa and in the world. These are kind words, but fair and touched the hearts of Mozambicans.

Being a pillar of multilateralism means, in our firm belief, unreservedly adhering to the principles and objectives set out in the United Nations Charter. They include, inter alia, respecting the sacred primacy of maintaining international peace and security, developing friendly relations with other nations, based on the respect for the principle of equal rights and self-determination of peoples and the active promotion of international cooperation.

Ultimately, it means recognizing that the United Nations is the centre for the promotion and achievement of these goals. And we believe that the United Nations’ central role in international relations is certainly more relevant today than 75 years ago. With globalization, global challenges have multiplied. The increase in the number of members of the United Nations, from 51 in 1945 to 193 at present, with the entry of South Sudan in 2011, reflects precisely this vital and universal importance.

The Charter of the United Nations recognizes that this Organization is a forum in which each member country, small or large, is called upon to interact and negotiate with other states represented here on a myriad of issues that affect the interests of nations on an individual, regional or global basis. And this is a role that Mozambique cannot give up.

During our national liberation struggle, the United Nations was a privileged forum for affirming our right to self-determination and independence. Eduardo Mondlane, Marcelino dos Santos and other Mozambican nationalist leaders raised their voices here in the fight against colonialism and defend the cause of the liberation of our people.

After independence, the fundamental priority was the affirmation of Mozambique, in the concert of nations, as a free and sovereign state, under the terms of our Constitution and the United Nations Charter. At the same time, Mozambique was an active participant, with other developing countries, in the struggle for a new international political order and in the defence of the universal right of peoples to self-determination and development.

Thus, we believe that Mozambique’s presence in the United Nations should rest today on the fundamental priorities that have always guided our diplomacy and our foreign policy, namely:

– The consolidation of peace in the country and the close fight against terrorism. This is fundamentally the result of external assault on the example of a place of freedom, democracy and the promise of prosperity that Mozambique represents in Africa;

– The promotion of Mozambique’s application as a non-permanent member of the Security Council for the 2023-24 biennium;

– The mobilization of the United Nations and the International Community as a whole for humanitarian assistance in the country;

– Increased commitment to the materialization of the 2030 Agenda, which contains the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly in the field of resilience and mitigation against climate change

– The growing widening of the circle of friends of Mozambique, thus making the image of its people and its Government more widely known as lovers and historic keepers of peace at internal, regional and international level.

In addition to issues of peace and security, mankind faces problems of a planetary dimension. These are global problems that require global solutions, such as: the struggle for development, against climate change, terrorism, the proliferation of nuclear weapons, pandemics, financial crises, just to name a few.

In his speech address, for the occasion of the general debate before the 75th session of the General Meeting of the United Nations, in September 2020, His Excellency Filipe Jacinto Nyusi, President of the Republic of Mozambique, restated the very special interest that Mozambican foreign policy has and has always had in the work of the United Nations and multilateralism in general. This interest is there while we are fully aware at the same time that as a people we have the first and foremost responsibility for the defence of our independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of our state.

Within this context, the decision made by our Government of applying as permanent non-member of the Security Council for the biennium of 2023-2024, reflects precisely the fundamental importance attributed by Mozambique to the principles and objectives consecrated in the Charter of the United Nations.