Chile

First of all, Mr. President, permit me to congratulate you on your election to preside over the Assembly's fifty-fifth session, the first of the new millennium. I wish you every success in your presidency, and promise you Chile's full cooperation as you carry out your important duties. I would like to express our admiration and affection for the country you represent, Finland. My appreciation also goes to the praiseworthy efforts of Foreign Minister Gurirab of Namibia during the work of the session that has just come to an end. Likewise, we congratulate the Secretary-General on the leadership he has demonstrated since taking office. We recognize and value his commitment to the vision of a new United Nations for the twenty-first century. We encourage him to continue his efforts to reform the Organization. Globalization is without a doubt the name of our era. Today it is pointless to ask ourselves whether we want to participate in globalization. Isolation is not a realistic option. Chile views globalization as an unquestionable reality and as a font of opportunity that has brought us very valuable benefits. The opening of our economy has enabled us to double the size of our gross domestic product within 10 years, compared with the almost 50 years it took to accomplish the previous doubling. Technological advances have helped to bring us closer to major world centres. Globalization gives rise to opportunities, but it can also deepen the inequities which have always characterized the international system. The United Nations can help to ensure that globalization does not result in exclusion, with the benefits of modernization limited to a lucky few. We must make a firm commitment to developing a new form of international cooperation, focused in particular on broadening access to the knowledge-based economy. The flows of goods, services, capital, information and technology characteristic of globalization tend to bypass domestic regulations and escape the control of Governments. This lack of regulation is generally not counterbalanced by other standards or authorities. It is up to us to fill this vacuum by using all available multilateral forums. As never before in the history of humanity, resolving the daily problems faced by people worldwide depends on collective international decision-making. The challenge confronting the United Nations today is to lend a certain degree of order to globalization; to establish effective institutions and rules, so that globalization will serve to advance the development of our peoples; and to ensure that the fruits of scientific and technological advances benefit all peoples. At the Rio Group's most recent Summit of Heads of State or Government, held in Cartagena, Colombia, the countries that make up this regional political coordination body prepared a joint contribution to the Millennium Summit, reaffirming the central role of the United Nations in this new era on which we are embarking. The past year has given rise to a mixture of hope and concern with regard to peace and security. Chile followed with particular interest the historic talks held between the leaders of North and South Korea, from 13 15 to 15 June of this year. We congratulate the leaders and the peoples of both countries on the progress made at this groundbreaking summit. The conflict in the Middle East has entered what seems to be a decisive stage. We are heartened by the advances made this year and encourage the parties to continue their negotiations in accordance with the established timetables and relevant Security Council resolutions. We are confident that Israel and the Palestinian National Authority will find satisfactory solutions to the remaining issues, particularly those related to Jerusalem. We are also encouraged by Israel's withdrawal from southern Lebanon. We support the Security Council's decisions establishing a massive humanitarian programme for Iraq under the 'oil-for-food' formula, and we favour an ongoing evaluation of that programme. We urge the Iraqi Government to cooperate effectively with the new inspection agency the United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission whose work we deem particularly important. We have followed closely developments in the Balkans. The seeds of intolerance and 'ethnic cleansing' are still present in the region. Chile views with fear the possibility of a new Balkan conflict. Only full respect for democracy and human rights can bring about peace in the region. We are concerned by the conflicts in Africa. We are hopeful as to the significant mediating role played by regional entities such as the Organization for African Unity, especially in the Ethiopia-Eritrea dispute, and the Southern African Development Community. We hope that these efforts, along with those of the United Nations, can bring about peace, allowing the continent to fully develop its enormous potential. We are pleased to note that the Security Council has directly addressed the scourge of HIV/AIDS in Africa, designating it as an international security issue requiring urgent action. We hope that initiatives will be adopted to effectively combat this problem, which casts an even greater shadow over the future of the continent than the current armed conflicts. We view with concern the difficulties surrounding the upcoming referendum in the Western Sahara. Chile would like to see the elections take place as soon as possible, on the basis of a free and secret ballot and adequate voter information. We are concerned about the obstacles that are hindering this undertaking. Although post-cold-war hopes for a world free of nuclear weapons in the near future have been tempered, that goal remains fully valid. I have the honour to report than on 12 July, Chile deposited its instrument of ratification for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty the sixteenth country to do so. We call upon all nations to ratify this Treaty as soon as possible in order to reach the quorum of 44 countries necessary for its entry into force. In our information-based society, the problems experienced by any one country affect the world community as a whole. No state can shirk its the responsibility to promote peaceful coexistence within and among nations. From the ethical standpoint of our common humanity, we have viewed with interest the development of the concept of humanitarian intervention. Chile continues to abide by the principles of non-intervention and the self-determination of peoples. But these principles must be linked to other principles of equal or higher priority, which have emerged prominently since the end of the cold war. We cannot remain impassive in the face of the humanitarian catastrophes caused by great conflicts. Thus, we propose that in specific cases, and in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations, concerted multilateral action be taken to provide rapid assistance to those who are suffering. Chile is also an enthusiastic participant in the Human Security Network, in response to an initiative put forward by Canada and Norway. Chile considers it an ethical and political imperative of the greatest urgency to expand its participation in the United Nations peacekeeping forces. Since 1999, we have developed an internal legal framework that is in closer harmony with international requirements for participation in these operations. Those legal modifications have enabled us to participate in the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor, beginning in February of this year. My country is also willing to discuss a new payment scale for the financing of United Nations peacekeeping operations. We believe that this scale must be adjusted to reflect the current financial situation of Member States. 16 We cannot fail to mention the process of Security Council reform. While some progress has been noted in discussions of the Council's methods of work and of the degree of transparency required by this body, we note that there have been few, if any, advances toward the expansion of its membership. Chile feels a certain dismay and fatigue at the lack of progress, which is the result of positions that appear irreconcilable. The issue of the veto further complicates this sensitive subject. Until we seriously address the question of limiting the veto with a view to its ultimate abolishment, we doubt that the discussions undertaken by the Assembly's Open-ended Working Group on the Question of Equitable Representation on and Increase in the Membership of the Security Council and Other Matters related to the Security Council will bear fruit. Globalization is not limited to the economic sphere. It also involves the universalization of values and principles of our common humanity, and the strengthening of the rights of the individual, which have increasingly become subjects addressed by international law. The absence of democracy and good governance, and the people's lack of a voice and participation in public affairs in States Members of the Organization are of concern to us all. The United Nations exists for individuals, not for those who govern. Under the imperative of putting people at the centre of all our efforts, we must support and promote human rights and democratic processes. Chile was among the countries that worked to convene the Towards a Community of Democracies conference held at Warsaw, Poland, last June. More than 100 United Nations Member nations participated in that gathering and endorsed its final declaration. We are convinced that, as time passes, the community of democracies will be an increasingly potent moral force within the United Nations, provided that it maintains its high standards and requirements. Democracy is based on justice, both national and universal. Chile enthusiastically supports the establishment of an International Criminal Court, and hopes that all countries will ratify its statute. Establishing a permanent body to exercise criminal jurisdiction over those accused of crimes that fall within its purview will discourage the irregular domestic proceedings which have allowed such individuals to enjoy impunity, as well as limiting jurisdictional disputes among countries. At the World Summit for Social Development, held at Copenhagen in 1995, heads of State or Government met for the first time in the history of the United Nations to declare with force and clarity that the chief responsibility of our societies is to improve the quality of life of our populations, particularly for their most marginalized and dispossessed members. This year, in a special session, the Assembly reviewed the progress made towards fulfilling the Summit's commitments and launched new initiatives on their genuine implementation. That was an important step in the quest to better humanize the process of globalization. We must continue to incorporate the objectives of the social Summit into our national and multilateral policies. In the social sphere, the United Nations has recognized the vital need to promote gender equality. Chile has worked together with our regional neighbours in Latin America and the Caribbean to reaffirm the principles and proposals of the Fourth World Conference on Women. We have renewed our commitment to the advancement of women, and have developed a new plan to equalize opportunities for men and for women. A concrete demonstration of that commitment is the fact that about one third of President Lagos Escobar's cabinet members are women. We reiterate Chile's strong support for preparations for the General Assembly's 2001 special session to follow up the World Summit for Children. We also attribute special significance to the concern of the United Nations for the rights and welfare of indigenous populations and of the elderly. Chile has volunteered to host the regional preparatory meeting for the World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance. We aim to contribute to the regional consensus in that area, confirming our very firm commitment to tolerance and respect for diversity. Environmental protection is an issue that crosses national borders and has become a global concern, driven in part by an emerging international civil society. Here, international cooperation, under the auspices of the United Nations, continues to be an urgent necessity. The United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, held at Rio de Janeiro, 17 laid the foundations for agreements on climate change, forest conservation and biodiversity. It is very important that we fulfil and gradually expand those commitments with new agreements and protocols ensuring the management, protection and conservation of our planet's resources. This session, as well as the Rio + 10 event which will take place in 2002, must continue to spur commitment to a new ethic of environmental conservation. We are witnessing the globalization of financial markets, which significantly affect capital, currency and credit flows, as well as the economies of all of nations. As recent experience demonstrates, a financial crisis in one corner of the world can rapidly trigger a domino effect, spreading the crisis even to faraway nations with no responsibility for or control over the causes of the original disturbance. It is a great injustice that countries that have been prudent and responsible in the management of their domestic economies can be affected by problems with which they had nothing to do. It is urgent for us to find ways to impose order and standards of good management on the international world. This does not mean obstructing international capital flows, but rather establishing an appropriate international framework to address the problems they may cause. Chile has enthusiastically supported the international community's progress towards free trade through deregulation and the elimination of protectionist measures and barriers. The failure of the 1999 Seattle World Trade Organization (WTO) conference was unfortunate. But let us be frank: that failure was not brought about by civil-society demonstrations, but by the lack of agreement among the world's leading commercial Powers. Chile continues to believe in the urgent necessity of initiating a new round of multilateral trade negotiations. The United Nations must play a key role in bringing about substantive improvements in the management of commercial, monetary and financial systems, so that their operations will take into account the needs of all countries. The Economic and Social Council has done commendable work to coordinate United Nations activities with those of the Bretton Woods institutions. But the General Assembly too has a critical role to play in this area. The decision to hold a High-level International and Intergovernmental Event on Financing for Development in 2001 was of groundbreaking significance, and we must resolve to carry forward the commitments expressed at the Millennium Summit to ensure the success of that event. That would lead to a new phase in North-South relations, since the political legitimacy arising from a broad multilateral consensus will allow us to design a new financial architecture and a system of international trade and exchange that reflect the legitimate interests of all the world's peoples. My country believes that official development assistance is still necessary to promote the development of many countries and regions. A globalized world cannot neglect the principle of solidarity, which is an idea so central to the United Nations tradition. In the same spirit, international assistance must be provided to relieve the distressing conditions of many countries burdened with unsustainable debt, so that they can meet the challenges of development. This year Chile began a new six-year political term, under fully democratic conditions. Our country is in complete harmony with the international community. We possess a vibrant civil society, which made its own contributions to our preparation for the Millennium Summit. Human rights and the rule of law are respected in Chile. Our courts impart justice with rigour and a sense of responsibility. We enjoy a vigorous and open economy, and we have resolved to continue reducing inequalities in our country. We reach out to the world from a firm foundation in our own region, Latin America. We are strengthening our multilateral policies, based on open regionalism and on cooperation with countries with similar criteria throughout the world. We are confident that this General Assembly session, dedicated to the millennium, will be recorded as the one in which we began to address the great challenge of our time: to give order to the forces of globalization and promote the extension of its benefits to an ever-increasing number of the inhabitants of our planet. You can rest assured, Mr. President, that Chile's delegation will lend its full support to meeting this challenge.