Mexico

Allow me at the outset to express my pleasure at seeing in the presidency of the General Assembly a representative of the Group of Latin American and Caribbean States. I would ask you, Sir, to extend my greetings to Secretary-General Kofi Annan, along with our full recognition of his leadership, which has given this institution of ours a new impetus. I would also ask you to convey to him and to the entire staff of the United Nations our condolences over the death of Mr. Sergio Vieira de Mello. We live in a world of fragile and perilous balances, the result of our collective inability to achieve genuine peace and shared well-being in the context of international legality. We are confronting today an economic globalization that is triggering imbalances to the detriment of developing countries, particularly the poorest. We are also confronting a globalization of violence, suffering the threats of terrorism as well as the war against it, and international organized crime that weakens public security and jeopardizes world peace. We share these problems along with the responsibility to find a solution to them. No country, large or small, can overcome alone either the challenges of the present or those that will have to be met successfully in the future. The attitude that will be essential in the face of threats to international peace, security and development is that of responsibility shared among all nations. Mexico knows that we, the peoples of the United Nations, can together ensure that hunger, intolerance, exclusion, crime and illegitimacy are banished once and for all. Together, we can guarantee every individual the right to live in human dignity and the right of future generations to grow, develop and contribute to the history of human civilization. In our Millennium Declaration, we have an irreplaceable guide on how to meet the challenges of the present and the future. Mexico has made significant progress in terms of democracy, freedoms, gender equity, respect for minority groups, health and education, and particularly in reducing poverty and improving income distribution, as reflected in the resolute and rapid advances we have made towards the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals. We have come one third of the way towards achieving those goals in the past two years alone and we shall have essentially attained them by 2010, well before the target date of 2015. Though Mexican men and women will not be satisfied merely by achieving those goals, we know we are on the right track. Now is the time not for us to shrink from challenges, but rather to be hopeful about our joint labours and our work as a team. We feel the same about the international situation as we do about the national context. Convinced therefore of the validity, usefulness and relevance of our Organization, Mexico appeals from this supreme global forum for shared international responsibility. This Assembly, the most representative body of humankind, is the most appropriate forum in which to call for collective action. Here the major international problems have been discussed, and here dialogue has been made the cornerstone of the effort to find solutions. Here, therefore, we must focus our efforts on achieving shared peace, security and development. 21 This is the first general debate of our Assembly since the Iraq war. Our Organization is at a critical and crucial juncture. The attacks on the United Nations in Baghdad have harmed our Organization and hurt us all. An attack on the United Nations is an attack on all its Members. The events in Iraq sparked a debate that ranks among the most far-reaching in the life of the United Nations. As a non-permanent member of the Security Council and, above all, assuming its responsibility as a member of the world community, Mexico has been faithful to the principle of seeking the pacific settlement of disputes, in accordance with the principles of the United Nations Charter. We have been actively and constructively involved in negotiating resolutions and are convinced that they will lead to the swift restoration of full sovereignty and independence for the Iraqi people. One of the top priorities of our Organization is to give impetus to the process of restoring sovereignty, resulting in the establishment of a representative Government for Iraqi men and women. The debate over the issue of Iraq requires us to act upon our commitments and change the way we think about when the use of force is legitimate, in accordance with the Charter. It is vitally important that we review States’ commitments to abide by international law and the existing machinery to ensure compliance with Security Council resolutions. The agreements reached and reforms achieved will greatly and profoundly determine the future effectiveness of the United Nations and proper functioning of the collective decision-making processes that underpin the multilateral approach. Above and beyond Iraq, the world is closely following many other major challenges. As we have noted today, the unfinished job of peace-making in the Middle East, Afghanistan, Africa and the Balkans implies new threats and challenges to international security. A particular source of concern is the increase in tensions in Asia, in light of the development of weapons of mass destruction. We have always been a nation committed to peace, convinced that dialogue, negotiation and the law are effective conflict-resolution instruments. Today, we reaffirm that it is time to give special emphasis to diplomatic action and to work together to meet common challenges. In view of the world’s present potential for destruction, it is time for us to ensure that diplomacy and negotiation get priority attention with regard to international disputes. Reaffirming the principles and values that govern our actions on the international scene, Mexico is appealing for peace and global cooperation so that, together, we can effectively foster international peace, security and development. History teaches us that, unless great economic and social disparities, injustice, discrimination, intolerance and lack of international cooperation are addressed, we will continue to endure current threats such as terrorism. Mexico is unequivocally committed to combating terrorism. Combating it effectively requires not only better and more intense international cooperation but also new approaches to international legality. The fight against terrorism will not be effective without a new recognition of international law and a United Nations system that has sufficient capacity to ensure compliance with it. We must confront this and other challenges by adopting a holistic view of our responsibility for maintaining and restoring peace in the world today, while tackling the structural causes of conflicts. To meet those challenges will require sustained conflict- prevention capacity, the mobilization of political will and a strategically targeted commitment of resources. Such a perspective can be contributed only by this universal Organization, the only such body with the legitimacy, experience, capacity to convene peoples and the moral force to concert our efforts for the sake of peace and universal well-being. The response to the global challenges facing us requires a robust political effort on the part of all nations — an effort that is possible solely from within these halls. As a nation that has always done its utmost to attain the noble objectives of the United Nations and convinced of the relevance of the principles and values that gave rise to this Organization, Mexico renews its firm commitment to the United Nations and its ideals. Security cannot be built based on barriers or ignorance. True security and lasting peace among nations is based on mutual understanding and a demonstrated belief in equal treatment for all nations — ideals that have developed over time within this Organization. The relevance of this Organization is undeniable. Mexico reaffirms its confidence in multilateral arrangements. We have associated ourselves with the 22 appeal by the Secretary-General to put forward innovative ideas and approaches geared towards reforming the United Nations. We agree with the Secretary-General’s view that the international system is in crisis and with his appeal for fundamental reform of the United Nations. Members can rest assured that Mexico will make every diplomatic effort to reform and update our Organization, which the international situation necessitates. Mexico considers that real reform must be based on five specific guidelines. The first is to strengthen our collective security system to ensure rapid responses to crises and transparent collective decision-making. The second is to guarantee support for economic and social development of States, particularly for the least- developed. The third is to guarantee respect for the sovereignty and independence of States while assuring at the same time the legitimacy and legality of international efforts to combat impunity. The fourth is to promote and protect human rights. The fifth is to increase the effectiveness of decision-making. We must revitalize the commitment that States and nations make to observing universal norms. Reforms must concentrate on the performance of our multilateral system. The work of the Security Council demonstrates this need. Without question, debate over its composition involves the need to make it more representative and thus increase its legitimacy. Although the central issue is the functioning of the Security Council and respect for its resolutions, the discussions of the past decade have focused on expanding the membership and selecting new permanent members. There is little worth in considering a Council with a larger membership if the resolutions that it issues are not respected or if they lack a common interpretation of the scope of their provisions. We must ensure the right kind of representativeness, limit and regulate the right of veto and call for greater transparency and for creating a more balanced relationship with the other organs of the United Nations system, particularly the General Assembly. We must ensure that the Council does not exceed its competencies or shirk its responsibilities. Let us think democratically. Let us seek a balance between the main organs of the United Nations. Let us dare to achieve a reform of the General Assembly that will include safeguarding its quality as a universal, parliamentary forum, without abandoning its ability for decision-making and acting in a timely manner. Let us think of a new type of collective security system that is effective and balanced, which would function under the guidance of our democratic body par excellence — the General Assembly. Inertia has caused each main organ of our Organization to act in a manner that is removed from the main purposes and objectives of the United Nations. The development agenda must be better linked to conflict prevention and peace-building activities must include mechanisms to ensure economic and social development. For that reason, we must also think about how to strengthen the Economic and Social Council and about whether we can and should turn it into an economic and social security council. Mexico believes that reform should bring the United Nations into line with the requirements of an ever-changing world, in order to help us to overcome the existing gaps and fresh challenges. Today, faithful to the principles, values and ideals of our Organization, we have the obligation to build a new international architecture, which, with a vision for the future, leaves fratricidal conflicts and struggles behind, opens new avenues of understanding and international cooperation and forges new paths towards peace, international security and development.