Dionísio da Costa Babo Soares, Permanent Representative of Timor-Leste to the United Nations, declared that in a context where “the world seems to be willingly walking toward self-destruction”, the “multilateral system is […] a necessity”. International law is “the only guarantee of justice, sovereignty and national independence” for small countries, he said, recalling its role in securing his country’s natural resources and the recent ICJ advisory opinion on the obligations of States with climate change.

For its Part, Timor-Leste aligned the Sustainable Development Goals with its development policy, focusing on renewable energy and the “blue economy”. But the goals cannot be achieved by any one country.  Less-developed countries depend on development assistance, solidarity and international cooperation to achieve them.  It is necessary to recognize the special circumstances of small island developing States as reflected in the Seville Commitment and the Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for Small Island Developing States.

He stressed that “climate change is undermining already fragile food security, striking our countries with natural disasters that divert vital resources to reconstruction and humanitarian relief”.  Industrialized countries and major polluters must respect their commitments to the Paris Agreement on climate change and the Glasgow Climate Pact.  The thirtieth UN Climate Change Conference, in Belem, Brazil, will provide an opportunity to do so.  Similarly calling for greater international cooperation to develop AI and digital capabilities for least developed countries, he highlighted how such investment would foster growth through the implementation of e-government frameworks.