The Portuguese are concerned about the world, feel solidarity with other countries, are willing to support international cooperation and trust organizations such as the United Nations to resolve challenges that go beyond national borders. “The Portuguese are aware of global interdependence and expressed a very favorable opinion of solidarity and appreciation for entities that work for international cooperation”, Fernando Jorge Cardoso, executive director of Clube de Lisboa, an NGO that promotes reflection on global challenges, told DN in an interview published this Wednesday. In fact, the study that supports these conclusions, which will be publicly presented on Thursday, in Lisbon, is titled Global Development Challengesand is based on a survey that aims to respond to what citizens think about global challenges and international solidarity.
It is very interesting, and this at a time when the Portuguese António Guterres and António Costa assume prominent positions of international leadership, that the UN and the EU generate confidence, even if they are not exempt from criticism. “There is trust in international institutions, particularly in the United Nations and the European Union. Naturally, these organizations are also the result of the wills and interests of the States that compose them, and this is recognized by citizens, when they state that the lack of capacity to impose the decisions and agreements concluded, the lack of voice and decision-making power of the poorest and most vulnerable countries, and the paralysis of their bodies due to national interests are factors to take into account in the (in)effectiveness of the United Nations. These results do not corroborate opinions that consider the UN irrelevant, instead advocating its reinforcement and/or reformulation so that it can have more assertive responses to the challenges humanity faces”, states Patrícia Magalhães Ferreira, editorial and content coordinator of the Clube de Lisboa, also in the interview with DN, published on the eve of the public session which will take place at the headquarters of Instituto Camões.
The academic researcher also adds about the global concerns of the Portuguese: “Firstly, wars and violent conflicts, which are a concern that cuts across the entire survey. It is worth noting that the majority of Portuguese people consider that they have become more favorable to cooperation and solidarity after the Covid-19 pandemic and, very especially, after the start of the war in Ukraine. In terms of international threats to peace, also express concern about increasing human rights violations, and the increase in cybercrime/cyberattacks and disinformation campaigns/fake news.”
In this post-pandemic context and especially after the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, there is also support for greater investment in defense and the participation of the Portuguese Armed Forces in international actions. “There is very majority support, as a general rule with the condition that the State does not neglect its internal social and international solidarity obligations. In other words, although it is not easy to balance spending on defense and security and spending on social areas, this was the expressed desire”, highlights Fernando Jorge Cardoso, who is a professor of International Relations. “The survey revealed that the Portuguese are very favorable to the participation of Portuguese military personnel in peace actions and that they have a very favorable opinion of this experience”, said the academic, clarifying that his reading of the data made to DN, like that of Patrícia Magalhães Ferreira, is done in his own name and does not bind the Lisbon Club.
A country that, with the Discoveries of the 15th and 16th centuries, began globalization, a country that has a language spoken worldwide by almost 30 times more people than its population, a country traditionally of emigration and now also of immigration, a country with great success as a tourist destination, it makes perfect sense for Portugal to feel connected to the world and for the Portuguese to realize that their destiny largely depends on what is happening in the rest of the planet. A good example is the strong concern about climate change that the study also reveals.
Deputy Director of Diário de Notícias