My
Government warmly welcomes the theme proposed for
this debate regarding the post-2015 development agenda,
since it directly addresses the most pressing problems
facing humanity, namely, inequality, hunger, poverty,
injustice and underdevelopment, factors that create
situations that our community of the United Nations
cannot and should not tolerate. We must address our
task decisively, and in doing so we must be guided by
the principles set forth in our Charter, but above all, we
must have the firm commitment of all members of the
international community. Our peoples, who are calling
for the implementation of a truly transformational
global development agenda, expect nothing else from
us.
In that regard, I wish to point out that, by virtue of
the universal, comprehensive and ambitious nature of
our goals, the consensus achieved so far in the effort to
define the sustainable development goals of the post-
2015 development agenda constitutes an essential point
of departure for that purpose. In that regard, I think that
the process in question deserves our strong support and
must be allocated the requisite resources in a timely
manner to ensure full implementation. Consistent with
that principle, Peru fully supports this process and is
confident that the adoption next year of the post-2015
development agenda will lead to the establishment of a
genuine global partnership for sustainable development.
The process will have participatory monitoring
mechanisms so as to ensure appropriate follow-up and
monitoring.
I wish to highlight that a clear-cut convergence
exists between the guidelines promoted by Peru
through its public policies on social inclusion and the
goals agreed upon by the Open Working Group on
Sustainable Development Goals. In both cases, priority
is placed on initiatives to reduce poverty and inequality
in all its forms, and to eradicate extreme poverty and
hunger, once and for all. Similarly, emphasis is placed
on the struggle for equality, the empowerment of
women, access to quality education and the elimination
of all forms of gender-based violence and violence
against children. It is also worth highlighting the
importance of continuing sustainable economic growth
and promoting formal and decent employment. Those
issues, among others, are of vital importance to Peru.
To that end, we must reflect on what type of State
we have today and move forward to meet the challenge.
In the case of Peru, we are pleased to highlight that we
have implemented a set of State reforms geared towards
attaining those objectives. Peru has been working hard
to consolidate and build upon the foundations for
sustainable development. Our nation is a clear example
of how it is possible to achieve substantial progress in
just a few years, without straying from the fundamental
principles of the Charter, such as peace and security,
human rights and development. In fact, Peru is one of
the countries that has made the most sustained progress
in achieving the Millennium Development Goals,
some of which will have been attained even before the
2015 deadline. Thus, thanks to economic growth and a
coordinated and comprehensive social policy, we have
achieved significant progress in fighting poverty, given
that we had set ourselves the goal for 2016 — the end of
my term in office — to reduce that figure to under one
fifth of the population.
In just one generation, Peruvians have implemented
a deep transformation based on the pacification of the
country, the consolidation of democracy, stability,
the opening of its economy, as well as the creation
and development of a social inclusion policy. That is
precisely why our aspirations, objectives and goals are
increasingly ambitious.
With that perspective, we see ourselves as an
emerging country with strong institutions that is proud
of its cultural diversity and of the skills of its people.
We have made significant progress in the reduction of
poverty and child malnutrition. Our country is built
on an inclusive social platform that promotes equal
opportunities, gender equality, justice and security.
My Administration is undertaking extraordinary
efforts in that direction and has prioritized its action to
focus on the fields of health care, education, security
and social welfare. On previous occasions, I have
talked about the body of first- and second-generation
social programmes that we have been implementing,
among which Qali Warma, which provides free meals
in public schools, Juntos, a conditional cash-transfer
programme, Pension 65, a non-contributory pension
plan, and the Beca 18 scholarship programme are worth
highlighting. All of those programmes are coordinated
under a multisectoral strategy that prioritizes the
human being and the family throughout their life cycle.
That strategy, which we call “include to grow”, is
intended not only to alleviate the immediate needs of
the poor and extremely poor people but also to build
the capacities of individuals and to create opportunities
for all.
The Government of Peru has been increasing
its budget for investment in social policies annually,
reaching unprecedented figures. By way of example, I
can point out that the budget for 2015 has increased by
12 per cent over that of last year, and that approximately
half of that increase has been allocated to education
and health care. The remainder is primarily for the
expansion of social programmes, the development of
infrastructure and the improvement of public safety,
since public safety is another major priority of my
Administration. Given that challenge, we constantly
monitor citizens’ demands and organize State action
to effectively address those requests robustly and
effectively in order to generate the climate of peace and
trust much needed by our families.
Historically, Peru has faced another impediment
to development: corruption. That is why we are
taking drastic measures against those people who, in
shameful exercise of their duties and public functions,
betray citizens’ trust. In that regard, in Peru, we are
implementing a concept of education and public and
political ethics to be followed not only by those who
govern Peru but by all citizens, with a major emphasis
on those who implement and enforce the law. We are
also considering barring from public office for life
those who commit acts of corruption while carrying out
their public duty.
I would now like to talk about another major
challenge that we must overcome, namely, the world
drug problem. I would appeal to the international
community to continue to strengthen dialogue and
cooperation so as to counter that scourge. We therefore
believe that the special session of the General Assembly
will be an opportunity for the international community
to jointly address that issue in a cooperative way. The
scope of the threat is clearly global, and our response
must incorporate that dimension. We have given
priority to a comprehensive strategy to implement
alternative development and to support social inclusion
programmes. In that way, we are regaining not only the
territory but also, most importantly, the people.
However, in order to ultimately overcome that
challenge successfully, all relevant actors must
participate actively. The joint and shared responsibility
of producers and users, as well as the transit and
financing countries, must facilitate the establishment
of a comprehensive strategy, in which all those involved
assume their responsibilities and adopt binding
solutions.
On the economic front, the recent adoption of
a national production diversification programme to
expand our production base, bring about a historical
change in the country’s economic structure and create
formal employment seeks to leverage our capabilities and
resources by promoting sustainable industrialization,
entrepreneurship and access to science and technology.
We are thereby adding value to our production and
making our growth and development sustainable.
We seek to continue expanding and deepening
our trade relations, improve the existing 17 trade
agreements that cover approximately 95 per cent of
our foreign trade, while also moving towards the
completion of the Doha Round of the World Trade
Organization. Peru’s aspiration to a more integrated
world is widely recognized. We therefore give particular
priority to any participatory forum, such as the Pacific
Alliance, which is an initiative that promotes the free
movement of persons, goods, services and capital and
cooperation among its members, as well as the Asia-
Pacific Economic Cooperation. That aspiration also
includes the right of all countries to achieve the highest
level of social, economic and trade development.
We therefore reiterate once again the call to end the
economic blockade against Cuba, which affects that
country’s economic growth and delays its social and
human development and has an impact on the welfare
of its citizens.
Peru’s relationships with its neighbours are
excellent. I wish to highlight the recent settlement of
the maritime dispute with Chile, achieved on the basis
of international law and the principle of the peaceful
settlement of disputes, as well as the fact that the
handing down of the ruling of the International Court
of Justice was the fastest in its history. In general, the
way in which the entire case was conducted makes Peru
and Chile an example for the world.
Peru affirms its active participation in the
international community. In that context, we will be the
host country for the twentieth United Nations Climate
Change Conference in December. On that occasion, the
discussions will be important but national commitments
will be essential. Today, I say that we need to organize
the largest alliance in history to address that critical
challenge, in which the agreements reached will define
the future of our civilization. As the host country, I urge
the heads of State and Government to maintain their
political will, so as to move forward constructively with
representatives that have the capacity to take decisions.
It is not only a matter of capitalizing on the Green
Climate Fund but also one of clearly setting out national
commitments and achieving a binding agreement.
We must be conscious that, for the first time,
humankind has achieved the capacity for mass
destruction without resorting to nuclear energy. In
that regard, it is vital that the international community
become aware that world problems, such as climate
change, require global, rather than national, responses.
According to a 2011 study by the Economic Commission
for Latin America and the Caribbean, the cost of global
warming to Peru is revealed in floods, droughts, thaws
and warming waters and amounts to approximately 4 per
cent of Peru’s annual gross domestic product (GDP). If
we do not take immediate action, the economic impact
of climate change could be over 5 per cent of GDP by
2030 and 20 per cent by 2050. Peru also recently ratified
the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources
and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising
from Their Utilization to the Convention on Biological
Diversity, which will soon be in force to promote such
genetic resources.
Today’s general debate finds us in a complex
scenario with various severe political, humanitarian
and economic crises. We are faced with major global
economic challenges regarding international security
and global governance. The Security Council’s ability
to respond to the various crises around the world
has revealed the need to reform its work methods,
including those related to the use of the veto. The
Security Council needs to respond in an effective way
to those situations, which requires comprehensive
reform, including increasing the number of permanent
and non-permanent members, making that body more
efficient, democratic, transparent and representative.
Specifically on the Palestine issue, my Government
confirms the need to address the root causes of that
conflict through negotiations to achieve a viable and
lasting solution, overcoming the status quo and enabling
Palestinians and Israelis to live in peace and to prosper
in the two States with secure and recognized borders.
The international community faces various ever-
growing phenomena that transcend borders. I am
referring to terrorism, transnational organized crime,
the global drug problem, corruption, trafficking in
persons, sexual exploitation, trafficking in young boys
and girls and in adolescents, and arms smuggling,
among others. With regard to acts committed by
terrorist groups all over the world in recent months, my
country knows the consequences of such acts very well,
and they have been most energetically rejected by my
Government.
Combating terrorism is a responsibility that
the international community must assume within
the framework of the law, with full respect for the
fundamental rights of all peoples and the sovereignty
of States. Regarding the condemnable events that
have occurred in several regions of the world, the
Government of Peru has expressed its strong rejection
of such barbaric and terrorist attacks by extremist
groups against the lives of innocent civilian hostages
and religious and ethnic minorities. Those intolerable
events deserve the firmest condemnation by the
international community.
Peru is not just a country with its own history; it
is also a civilization. Its culture is part of the world
heritage of humankind, as recognized by UNESCO.
That recognition signifies a universal recognition of
the extraordinary work of our ancestors, who knew
how to harmonize development and the environment in
a sensible and creative way.
I would like to conclude by reiterating Peru’s
commitment to the development and implementation
of the post-2015 agenda, focusing on sustainable
development goals, and by reiterating my call to
allocate the means required to make them a reality. In
the context of the upcoming Conference of the Parties
to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP-20) in
Lima, I wish to reiterate my commitment and that of the
Peruvian Government to the Conference objectives, and
we call upon the international community to participate
actively with a constructive spirit for sustainable
development in the interest of our peoples. Peru, the
cradle of the Inca civilization and the international
capital of excellent gastronomy, is ready to welcome
everyone.