|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2002 - H.E. President Xanana Gusmão |
|
| President of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste | |
|
Mr Koïchiro
Matsuura, Director-General of UNESCO, Félix
Houphouët-Boigny is a role model for countries such as the young Timorese
nation by virtue of his humanism, principles, spirit of reconciliation and
vision of the future and, more particularly, the profoundly democratic and
pluralist significance and the clarity of the objectives set for his
people's development and dignity. He was a wise man, a source of
inspiration regarding universal values that are still flouted today in
many countries of the world, causing such great suffering to the people. UNESCO,
which promotes the development of individuals through education and
science, the recognition of human, material, natural and spiritual
heritage, stands for many of the aspirations of peoples, such as the
Timorese, determined to lead their destiny by preserving and respecting
their culture and national identity values. Both
Félix Houphouët-Boigny and UNESCO are indisputable references for the
determining factors that lay the foundations for social harmony and
stability, which act as necessary ingredients for peace. For
Timor-Leste, the youngest nation in the world, this Prize can only mean
that the priority of peace-building must be a permanent objective. Timor-Leste
has just completed its first year of independence after decades of
struggle for its affirmation. We
are more and more convinced that it is a long and difficult road with
tremendous challenges, especially in terms of our continuous commitment to
principles and ideals. There is an urgent need to meet some of these
challenges in order to make peace and independence truly meaningful to our
people. Peace
must not be viewed merely as the absence of violence or war. In
Timor-Leste, there is no war and the levels of violence are considered to
be among the lowest in the world. Yet peace is still neither entrenched
nor crystallized in our society, because we do not believe that peace is
an abstract concept. Félix
Houphouët-Boigny defined peace as behaviour. We too share this philosophy
in building a culture of peace as the basis for the individual and
collective peace within Timorese society. There
are two determining components in the peace-building process in
Timor-Leste: national reconciliation and citizen involvement in building a
State based on the rule of law and on national development. To
this end, we have been focusing our action on strategic areas set around
the central pillar of citizen participation and involvement, individually
or collectively, either through the institutions that constitute the State
or through less conventional bodies acting as a means of voicing wishes
and opinions that can hardly make themselves heard otherwise. I am
referring, for example, to the intensification of action to develop the
democratic way of life, respect and tolerance. Specifically, we are
engaged in a process of reconciliation involving community discussion on
what must be done to heal the wounds of the past in order to look
confidently to the future. Other
action relates to the National Dialogue, an initiative of the Presidency
to engage everyone in open-ended debate, governed by democratic rules, on
matters of concern to the population as a whole, which determine the
structure of State institutions based on the rule of law. A
National Dialogue on local governance was recently held to discuss the
role of a decentralized local government, its objectives and mission.
Before the final debate, which involved all relevant sectors of society, a
two-month countrywide survey was conducted. We believe that the
organization of local government, the decentralization of decision-making
processes and the empowerment of citizens to identify local needs and
priorities and to seek solutions are powerful means of ensuring direct
participation in the strengthening of democracy and a peaceful way of
life. This basically amounts to making each citizen a key player in the
country's destiny. In
a country like Timor-Leste, one of the poorest in the world, we believe
that peace-building is the greatest contribution we can make to our
people, to the South-East Asian region and to the international community.
It
is with this in mind that we shall continue to work actively to forge
better relations for cooperation with Indonesia and, consequently, with
all neighbouring countries. This Prize, which I accept today as the
representative of the democratic State of Timor-Leste, is an encouragement
to continue on this path. Your
Excellencies, Timor-Leste
signed the UNESCO Constitution five days ago in London, thus becoming a
Member of the Organization. That was yet another important step for our
country in its effort to join the community of nations. I
wish now to acknowledge and express gratitude for the support and
encouragement given to us by UNESCO even before our accession, in regard
to which we shall now act jointly. I am confident that, under the guidance
of Mr Koïchiro Matsuura, the relations of UNESCO's youngest Member State
with the Organization and with the other Members will grow and flourish. I thank
the Members of the Jury of the Félix Houphouët-Boigny Peace Prize for
their gesture of confidence, adding as it does a new dimension to
Timor-Leste's and my own responsibility for peace-building, which is vital
for the development and dignity of the Timorese people. I thank the
President of the Jury, Dr Henry Kissinger, for honouring us with his
message, although he could not be present today because he had to stay in
London owing to the strike. It is an acknowledgement of and support for
the peace process in Timor-Leste. We
are also grateful to the distinguished guests who honour us, Timor-Leste
and myself, by being present today - President Abdou Diouf, President
Henri Konan Bédié, Mr Michel de Bonnecorse, representing H.E. President
Jacques Chirac, H.E. Ambassador Teiichi Sato, representing H.E. Prime
Minister Koizumi of Japan, Your Excellencies, distinguished
representatives of governments and of UNESCO, and the members of Félix
Houphouët-Boigny's family. I also
wish to thank the members of the Jury and the staff of the Executive
Secretariat of the Prize and, in particular, Mr Alioune Traoré, for
keeping Félix Houphouët-Boigny's conception of universal humanism alive
by administering the Prize, as well as for providing warm hospitality to
my delegation and to me. As
I accept the Prize today, I wish to pay tribute to the memory of Félix
Houphouët-Boigny, wise man of the African continent and the world, and
honour his vision and action, which represent a major message for world
peace, celebrated each year by awarding the Prize. Thank
you very much. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
