We come together for this annual meeting, bearing the enormous responsibility of exchanging ideas and making commitments to strengthen the intergovernmental public sphere that is vital to respond to the shared needs of our nations.
In my final speech as Head of State in this Hall, I wish to highlight the commitment of the Republic of Paraguay, as a member of the international community, to continuing to contribute to the building of a world that accords full respect to fundamental freedoms, the peaceful resolution of conflicts, decent living conditions for all humankind and the uncompromising fight against organized crime, all of which have an international component. The economic and social consequences of the pandemic were still being felt when we began to feel the impact of war at the international level. Our peoples consequently found themselves in the difficult situation of observing the failure of national and international institutions to deal with emergencies.
In these circumstances, our first big challenge is to contain demagogic and despotic attempts to manipulate the genuine frustration of citizens. We cannot accept discourse that seeks to sacrifice our sacred freedoms using deceit. More than ever, the world needs temperance, dialogue and moderation. We live in times that demand concrete political commitments, not generic platitudes. That is even more true for the postpandemic years, which promise to be difficult and will require complex reforms that must be shielded from false promises.
Latin America, one of the regions most affected by the situation, must be prepared once more to adopt positions of principle that are aligned with the concern for the full validity of human rights and collective self- government. Those positions must be part of broad- based cooperation efforts in which the best-positioned countries have a comprehensive understanding of worldwide imbalances. We must bring stability to the world with a common voice. We cannot ignore what is happening in other territories and leave our fellow nations to their fate.
For that reason, Paraguay is a supportive country that acts in alignment with its principles. We have always supported the brotherly Venezuelan people and their struggle for democracy, which is why Paraguay will be taking the lead, together with other countries, on a draft resolution in the Human Rights Council that will allow further in-depth investigation of the violation of human rights in Venezuela.
We need to rebuild a moral conscience with respect to the relevance of human rights and democracy. The legal instruments and institutions that we have created to protect them are of undeniable value. However, to protect peoples, it is fundamental that we strengthen the notion of the greater value of human dignity and autonomy, and the inviolability of the person.
The current difficult situation requires us to address global problems jointly, without exclusion. Therefore, my country emphatically reiterates its support for the request of the Republic of China on Taiwan to be an integral part of the United Nations system. We are convinced that it would make a valuable contribution to the multilateral system. I take this opportunity to express my solidarity with the Taiwanese people with respect to the recent earthquake, as well as with the peoples of Mexico, the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico for similar tragedies affecting them.
Paraguay joins the vast majority of countries that advocate peace, the rule of international law and the primacy of diplomacy. We are concerned about the situation in Ukraine and the humanitarian and economic consequences of the conflict. We strongly call for the cessation of hostilities and the resumption of negotiations. It is essential that our Organization, and the international community in general, participate intensively in this process. In that regard, we note the scrutiny of the role of the Security Council in this sensitive international context. It is imperative to rethink how the Council operates so as to guide it towards effective performance, and to strengthen the role of the General Assembly as a space for channelling the views of all States.
Another issue that brings us together in terms of cooperation is the health of the international financial system. We cannot continue talking about global initiatives to eradicate poverty and promote sustainable development when our economies are contaminated by the distribution of profits from illicit activities.
Recently, Paraguay received satisfactory news from the Financial Action Task Force of Latin America, having passed its evaluation as a result of a joint effort to modernize our institutional structure to combat money laundering and the financing of terrorism. We are a country committed to cooperation and we understand the importance of adopting preventive and punitive measures. That is a task that no State should shirk or be complacent about. The rule of law is a global objective that goes beyond political beliefs, and anyone who sees it otherwise conspires against community life.
Under my administration, Paraguay aligned in a heretofore unseen way the efforts of security institutions and put them to work in the largest operation in history against organized crime. That success was due not only to the work of our public forces, but also to the coordinated work that was carried out with friendly foreign agencies, with whom we verified once again the importance of joining forces if we want to achieve results against criminal groups. Similarly, in collaboration with intelligence agencies, we determine and provide information about the route of an airplane and its crew when a link to international terrorism is indicated.
Another area of cooperation is the field of sustainable development. Paraguay, as part of the global food-production machine, has been making progress in transforming its production matrix and implementing sustainable practices in agricultural and livestock production, as well as exploiting its 100-per cent clean and renewable energy.
If all our efforts are to really make sense, we need the countries that, due to their nature, bear the greatest responsibility to act accordingly. We inhabit the same planet and are obligated to take care of nature and future generations. That is the responsibility of each State in fair measure. That is why Paraguay, along with other countries, promoted the creation of a Special Rapporteur on climate change in the Human Rights Council, which will help make the true impact of this crisis visible worldwide.
Paraguay’s commitment continues to grow every day. In addition to being among the five countries of the region that managed to increase foreign direct investment during the pandemic, we were able to double private investment in the last four years. A few months ago, we saw an improvement in our credit outlook, according to Moody’s — a fact that corresponds to the historical, sensible and stable management of our economy. We are part of the most important logistics and economic corridor in South America. At the same time, we continue to roll out an unprecedented infrastructure plan that will allow for greater connectivity and access to markets. As can be seen, despite the challenges we have experienced, we enjoy conditions that make us look to the future with hope.
Finally, I would like to talk about the vision underpinning the Republic of Paraguay’s approach to the world. Beyond our legitimate differences, we must find common paths. We have common challenges that we cannot face independently. My country is committed to the Organization and hopes that its purposes will be achieved. As Pope Francis says, we are all in the same boat and called on to make the commitment to dismantling the walls that separate us. May God bless all our nations.