At an event organized by the Portuguese Mission to the United Nations to mark the 50th anniversary of the Carnation Revolution, António Guterres said, in an unscripted speech in English: "we would not have consolidated democracy if the people had not repeatedly and massively taken to the streets of Portugal to say that they wanted democracy in our country".

Before hundreds of people, including diplomats from various countries, Guterres recalled personal experiences from when Portugal was led by dictator António de Oliveira Salazar and shared memories not only of the day of the revolution, but also of the turbulent period that followed.

The former prime minister said he knew what it was like to live in a country under a dictatorial regime, where one could be arrested or tortured for having an opinion different from the government's, where newspapers were censored and any form of association was prohibited.

"But the regime collapsed, not only because it was rotten, but also because the people joined the Armed Forces in creating the conditions for the revolution," he stressed.

"And the importance of the people was not limited to April 25, 1974 (...). It took two years to consolidate Portuguese democracy," he added, recalling the mobilizations and demonstrations after the revolution.

In addition to the experiences of that period in Portugal, Guterres also linked April 25 to the African liberation movements that led to decolonization.

Based on the theme "Portugal 3D: Democracy, Decolonization, Development", the event discussed "The impact of the Carnation Revolution on the world", with the participation of the ambassadors of Mozambique, Brazil, Spain and Timor-Leste.

The permanent representative of Portugal to the UN, Ana Paula Zacarias, defended the need to fight for democracy "every day".

"Democracy is never guaranteed. We have to fight for it every day," said the diplomat in the chamber of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), specially decorated with hundreds of red carnations.

Speaking to Lusa during the event, Ana Paula Zacarias considered the message conveyed by Guterres to be "very important", as well as the sharing of personal experience.

"The Secretary-General reinforced the idea that democracy is the will of the people, at a time when the world is going through dramatic situations of authoritarianism and even regression in some aspects," observed the diplomat.

"It is the people who have the leadership of what politics should be, the political choices in democracy. And that was a very clear message that the Secretary-General conveyed: that we may go through difficult times, we may go through complicated circumstances, but the people are wise and know how to find the way," added the ambassador.

Among the hundreds of people in the audience were, in addition to Portuguese officials at the United Nations, permanent representatives to the United Nations from countries such as Angola, Cape Verde, Ukraine and Morocco.

The celebration also included two musical moments: a Portuguese guitar concert by Marta Pereira da Costa, and a performance of "Grândola, Vila Morena" by the young Portuguese artist Júlia Machado.

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