EDITE RAMOS DA COSTA TEN JUA, Minister for Foreign of Affairs of São Tomé and Príncipe, recalling the recent Food Systems Summit, underscored that “poverty was the greatest scourge of humanity”.  It was no coincidence that it appeared as the first Sustainable Development Goal.  She urged the international community to consider the eradication of poverty as its top priority, pointing out that poverty was the direct cause of most global challenges the world was facing.  Deploring the status quo regarding South-North migration flows, she stressed that countries of reception should combine their efforts regarding refugees and support countries of origin to address this phenomenon.

She requested the United Nations to create more binding mechanisms to ensure solidarity for the victims of war and terrorism, and she called for long-lasting solutions to the Israeli-Palestinian, Syrian and Libyan conflicts.  As well, solutions were also needed to address the crises in East, West and Central Africa.  Political instability in several African countries was a great concern for São Tomé and Príncipe.  Regarding the situation in Sahara, she commended the United Nations’ efforts to appoint a special representative to assist the parties to reach a political solution to their regional dispute based on United Nations and African Union resolutions.  She invited all parties to commit to this political process.

Underscoring that climate change was endangering the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, she urged the international community to fulfil its commitments.  She requested the inclusion of African representation in the Security Council as part of the ongoing reform to ensure greater representativeness in the decision-making.  Commenting on the economic development of São Tomé and Príncipe, she pointed out that her country was looking forward to its graduation from least developed country status in December 2024. . She said that support from the international community during this transition was necessary to achieve its Sustainable Development Goals.  Still, despite challenges, Africa would remain a continent of opportunities with strong assets, she stated.