Prime Minister António Costa will travel to New York between 19 and 22 to attend the United Nations General Assembly for the second time since he became leader of the Portuguese executive. According to a note issued by the Prime Minister's office, António Costa is expected to address the 77th United Nations General Assembly on the 22nd, and will then return to Lisbon.


The first time he spoke at the United Nations General Assembly was on 20 September 2017, the Prime Minister stressed that Portugal's foreign policy priorities are the priorities set by UN Secretary-General António Guterres, in a speech in which he also highlighted the country's "solemn commitment" to multilateralism.


In the same speech António Costa defended a reform of the Security Council. "I would like to take this opportunity to mention the importance of the Portuguese language, which is today affirmed as an instrument of communication with a global dimension. In the middle of this century, Portuguese will have almost 400 million speakers, which has justified its elevation to official language in several international organizations. The adoption of Portuguese as an official language of the United Nations remains a common goal of the CPLP member states," said the Prime Minister.


On a political level, António Costa also said that he would like to see a more representative Security Council. As an example, "the African continent cannot fail to have a permanent presence, and Brazil and India are two unavoidable examples. On the other hand, the complexity of the global problems we face today imposes the need to cultivate partnerships, involving not only states, but also civil societies, international financial institutions, public and private entities", he argued.