Chile

At the end of the twentieth century, we imagined that the twenty-first century would bring greater progress and peace for all and that it would be free of the tragedies that had convulsed the world. Indeed, we have seen hopeful signs of development in many dimensions. Yet paradoxically, we see all around us the symptoms of crises that, while they may be more localized, have more devastating humanitarian consequences. These challenges include regional wars, ethnic and religious tensions, humanitarian crises, the trampling of human rights, the break-up of several States, climate change, deepening inequality, cross-border terrorism and the spread of terrible pandemics such as Ebola, all of which require a firm, urgent response on the part of the international community. That instability, along with a lack of social cohesion, poses a threat to peace, security, human rights, development and democracy. This affects not only countries or States, but the actual men and women who inhabit them. In other words, it is a threat to all we believe in — everything that constitutes the basis of the agreement on which the United Nations was founded and everything that is our raison d’être as leaders of our societies. That is why the United Nations remains irreplaceable as an institution for addressing global challenges and for agreeing on the actions needed to resolve them, even if some of those actions have not produced the desired results. The Security Council has contributed to addressing and preventing crises. One response has been the design of robust peacekeeping operations with a strong emphasis on the protection of civilians. However, on many occasions Council members have been unable to act with unity. That undoubtedly undermines the legitimacy and credibility of the principal organ responsible for international peace and security. This year has seen a significant rise in the number of humanitarian crises around the world, in particular in the number of complex emergencies with regional impacts that indirectly affect already-fragile States. We are concerned about the 3 million refugees created by the crisis in Syria; about the actions of terrorist groups such as the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant; about the cruel violence that the world has witnessed in Gaza. We express our solidarity with the victims and categorically condemn the use of violence. Any action in this area must be taken within the context of international law. We believe that the international community should seek political solutions and inclusive negotiations to facilitate action by the Security Council. For our part, we are prepared to increase our humanitarian commitments and shall consider accepting refugees from those conflict zones. We are also concerned about the situation in Ukraine. Here the position of Chile is clear. We believe that the principle of territorial integrity must be respected and that, at the same time, the rights of minorities must be protected. We believe that a solution can be found to prevent an escalation of violence, sanctions and tensions that may well spread throughout the planet. Generally speaking, we wish to reaffirm our belief in the need to respect the integrity of State borders. International law is clear and unambiguous. Any action designed to affect existing boundary treaties creates room for legal uncertainty and could jeopardize international peace and stability. In that context, we continue to believe that reform of the Security Council is a pending issue requiring political decision and swift action. We reiterate our support for the enlargement of the Council and for the aspirations of Germany, Brazil, Japan and India to become permanent members. In addition, Chile favours a serious debate on the French proposal to limit the right to veto in the case of crimes involving the responsibility to protect. We acknowledge the Secretary-General’s efforts to achieve a more inclusive global governance in which the post-2015 development agenda and the sustainable development goals occupy a central place and require the political support of Governments and societies in all regions. The post-2015 process provides a great opportunity to tackle the social and development issues common to all societies and regions, using a comprehensive approach, through specific and measurable goals. Women and peace and security is an item on the agenda of the Security Council to which Chile, as a member of the Council, attaches priority. Since the adoption of resolution 1325 (2000), the world has made progress in the protection of women and girls in armed conflicts. Our efforts to empower women and promote initiatives to combat violence against women and girls have been tireless. Thanks to those efforts, today women are at the centre of the new development and peace architecture. We believe that the full incorporation of women in every area of society — including the economy, politics, and culture — is a prerequisite for their full development. It, therefore, should also be a priority in the post-2015 development agenda, as should early childhood development, which is something that has to do with the future of our societies. I come from Latin America, a region of middle-income countries that has its own dreams, challenges and tasks. For us, sustainable development, security, the quality of governance and, above all, inequality and social cohesion are the most pressing problems. We want those challenges to appear in the post-2015 development agenda, which must be inclusive and reflect the situation in all regions of the world. We believe that inequality is one of the greatest threats to countries’ development and international security. It fosters social unrest and prevents us all from moving towards inclusive development and ending exclusion and poverty, which in turn can lead to resentment and violence. Therefore, overcoming inequality, with its many faces, must occupy a central place among the post-2015 development goals. We also believe that the United Nations system should have the tools for measuring specific progress in a universal agenda to combat inequality. Chile is dealing with the challenge of inequality decisively and over the long term. Today in Chile, there is a common belief in the need for change — change specifically designed to substantially improve equity and inclusion. Having made great progress, Chile would like to consolidate and move ahead but recognizes that a society that has undergone profound and rapid changes faces new challenges. Public opinion and political evolution tell us that the time has come to take meaningful steps through substantive reforms providing the essential basis for moving towards a more dynamic, inclusive and equitable development. That is a basic condition for moving towards a better society for all. To that end, we have recently adopted a tax reform to ensure greater equity, fiscal sustainability and the resources necessary to carry out an education reform that will ensure a quality education, free of charge, and opportunities for all. Chile will not achieve development while dragging the burden of inequality. We all know that, which is why the tax reform has received cross-cutting support. We are also introducing long-awaited political reforms to enhance our democracy and institutional legitimacy. We have already adopted a law allowing Chileans residing abroad to vote. Progress is being made on the reform to alter the electoral system by eliminating the existing bias and motivating citizens to participate, since now every vote will count. And we want to move towards a new Constitution with fully democratic foundations and content. We launched a productivity and growth agenda to stimulate the economy, promote sustainable development and create decent jobs, as a basic prerequisite for achieving a lasting reduction in inequality and enhancing opportunities. Ultimately, we want to broaden the scope of rights to bring them into line with our enhanced capability as a country. Climate change exacerbates inequalities and intensifies threats. There is a collective duty to act, and Chile is convinced that Latin America has a big contribution to make in this debate. Climate change aggravates inequalities because it has the greatest impact on the most vulnerable. Chile has only a marginal effect on the problem, since it accounts for only 0.25 per cent of carbon emissions, but it undoubtedly suffers the consequences of climate change, as do many others. Therefore, we want to be part of the solution. Since we understand that this entails a global commitment, differentiated actions and binding obligations, we voluntarily made a commitment to reduce our emissions by 20 per cent by 2020. Several other Latin American countries have made similar voluntary commitments. We should like to propose here that there be some type of accountability, which would facilitate compliance and would help to set an example for the countries that are lagging behind. The Organization must ensure the efficiency and consistency of multilateralism as a special forum for tackling the major global issues in an inclusive manner, creating international regimes and promoting cooperation arrangements in priority areas for our peoples. Our country trusts multilateralism, and we believe that participating in the system involves both rights and responsibilities. Because we want to contribute to the solution of global problems, we are a member of the Security Council and the Human Rights Council, we aspire to membership in the Economic and Social Council, and we are contributing to peacekeeping operations, including the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti. That Mission, in which a number of Latin American countries are engaged, is a tangible action of solidarity to support the democratic consolidation of a sister country. We believe, therefore, that it is a political imperative to strengthen multilateralism in three fundamental ways. The first is by enhancing the Secretary-General’s ability to take initiatives. In the context of the functions envisaged in the Charter, it is essential to continue support for the political leadership of the Secretary- General to take preventive action and respond to urgent situations that jeopardize the dignity of people and international peace and security. The second relates to fieldwork. The ability of the system to take action in the field is a basic prerequisite in order for the Organization to be relevant to people’s demands and real problems. As the former Executive Director of UN-Women, I had the privilege of seeing the conviction, solidarity and dedication with which United Nations staff help to promote the ideals, principles and mandates of the system. The third area of focus is development and cooperation. The process of constructing a post- 2015 development agenda requires renewed efforts to provide official development assistance and to promote innovative financing mechanisms, encouraging partnerships between countries, international bodies, civil society and the private sector. Chile is interested in a greater coordination of initiatives and instruments to facilitate South-South cooperation between middle-income countries while seeking out ways in which their essential contribution can be made effective. I would also like to note that in Chile we have enacted legal provisions to open our economy fully to imports from the 48 least developed countries, without duties or quotas. I would like to conclude by reiterating the irrevocable commitments made by Chile’s successive democratic Governments to the work of the United Nations. Those commitments reflect universal principles and values, as they promote the protection, dignity and fundamental rights of all individuals and contribute to crisis prevention, dialogue, reconciliation and post-conflict management. Our convictions and efforts will always be aimed at enhancing the legitimacy of collective action to meet people’s concerns and demands. We believe that, with an effective and real effort on the part of the international community, we will be able to deal successfully with exceptional crises and, first and foremost, build a world in which all inhabitants live together in peace and dignity.