The seventy-sixth session of the General Assembly is taking place in a global context marked by instability and uncertainty, rather than by the certainties that our peoples are demanding about the future of the pandemic, peace, security, economic recovery and the reduction of inequality and poverty. The President of the General Assembly bears the heavy responsibility of leading the Assembly in this changing and fragile world. I am confident that his skill, knowledge and experience will lead us to the best decisions and success in our work.
At the same time, we were celebrating the bicentennial of Peru’s independence last 28 July, I assumed the presidency of the Republic in a democratic exercise, in which the Peruvian people, reflecting their sovereign will, voted in favour of social change through macroeconomic stability and sustainable growth. It is the first time in the history of the Peruvian people that a schoolteacher from a rural part of the country, has assumed the leadership of this country and taken responsibility for its destiny. That responsibility binds me to the poor, marginalized and vulnerable populations, as well as to entrepreneurs and the middle classes, which have suffered so much from the pandemic — in short, to all Peruvians, without exception.
Peru is the cradle of one of the many great civilizations that have contributed to the history of humankind. It is a multicultural and multiethnic country, which, through the Government of Peru, is committed to building a society and a State rooted in the people, nurturing social inclusion that eliminates inequalities, injustices and the unfair distribution of wealth, forging a solid democratic society in which freedom and civil rights are guaranteed by a democratic and representative State, and promoting the participation of the people and the country’s subnational, regional and local governments in all decision-making processes that involve their destinies and their lives.
I reaffirm the Peruvian Government’s democratic nature and mission, as well as its commitment to social justice. Our task is not only to strengthen the rule of law and the separation of powers, but also to do so in political life in an effective manner, ensuring that the people can fully exercise their rights on a daily basis. Peru’s economy has been growing for 25 years, and it is one of the strongest in Latin America. Notwithstanding the ravages the pandemic has brought to the national economy and the world, we are going to press on with the responsible and efficient management of the country’s macroeconomic framework in order to continue to expand growth and improve income redistribution.
At the same time, indicators show that there is extreme inequality and exclusion in Peru. This situation compromises the ethical values of democracy and affects the competitiveness of the State and the economy. A social transformation is therefore necessary to allow all Peruvians to enjoy their economic and social rights, as well as their fundamental freedoms and civil and political rights. This transformation must guarantee in every home and to every family their rights to education, health, decent employment and a living wage, social security and housing, as well as
access to an individual, economic and collective life that is respectful of the rights of Mother Earth.
We fully support the historic initiative of Secretary- General Antonio Guterres to set out a “common agenda” that proposes a new social contract for the post-pandemic world. The transformative action of the Peruvian Government is inspired by the same view of the problems at hand, and we have the same will to see a new global social contract adopted. We want to establish a new social pact in Peru, as well — one that ensures democratic governance, peace and social cohesion and manages to drastically reduce poverty, eliminate extreme poverty, lessens inequalities and consigns to the past exclusion and racism as limiting factors to equal access to the State and the market.
For the second year in a row, this general debate is being held against the backdrop of the risks of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, which has claimed the lives of more than 4.5 million brothers and sisters worldwide. The number of people infected exceeded 220 million, including more than 200,000 Peruvians.
Vaccines have opened the way towards restoring humankind’s faith that this battle will be won by humankind. However, the fight against the pandemic has shown us that the international system has been unable to cooperate or uphold the principles of solidarity and efficiency. We need agreements to ensure equity in access to vaccines and vaccination. Multilateral cooperation is still the great absentee in the fight against COVID-19.
The new global agenda initiative should include vigorous and urgent multilateral actions to combat the pandemic and allow all countries, especially the poorest, to have access to vaccines and complementary health coverage. Peru will be an active and dynamic member in the shared endeavour to ensure that all countries have inclusive, equitable and non-discriminatory access to all diagnostic processes, therapies, medicines and vaccines, as well as to the technologies and health products, including their components and precursors, required to respond to COVID-19 as a global priority, including fair access.
Strengthening international scientific cooperation to combat the pandemic must be a top priority. We must reinforce the initiatives that are being developed for this purpose. In view of the foregoing, on behalf of Peru, I would like to propose the signing of a global agreement between the Heads of State and Government and the owners of the relevant patents to guarantee universal access to vaccines for all inhabitants of the planet without discrimination or privilege, which would signal our commitment to the health and life of all peoples.
It is necessary to adapt the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to the new realities of the post-pandemic world. Peru has a national, autonomous, democratic, social and decentralized foreign policy, which is oriented towards cooperation in solidarity with all international actors, State and non-State. To that end, public diplomacy is a priority, as it is now for the United Nations. We are therefore giving special attention to the most urgent of the SDGs in order to reach the neediest and the poorest.
The goal of zero hunger must be the central focus of the international community’s efforts. It is crucial that we redouble our efforts to meet the immediate food needs of all vulnerable populations, stimulate social protection programmes, maintain and increase world trade in food, keep the wheels of national food supply chains in motion, and support the capacity of small- scale producers to expand food production.
We are equally committed to a social development policy that will allow Peru to meet the SDGs, particularly in relation to access to water and sanitation networks, poverty reduction and the elimination of extreme poverty, reduction of infant mortality, full access to the health-care systems, guaranteed inclusive and quality education, gender equality and, especially, employment-generation and improvement of informal employment. Decent employment is the only lasting antidote to poverty. Health, education and access to water and sanitation cannot be for-profit businesses, as they are fundamental human rights that we must guarantee, ensuring universal, quality access without discrimination of any kind.
As a primary school teacher by profession, I must call international attention to the millions of children and adolescents in the world who are out of school, which is a situation that has worsened with the health emergency. I am convinced that society’s ability to overcome the complex challenges that we face depends on the education that our children and our young people receive. Following the severe impact of the pandemic on school education, the Secretary- General’s initiative calling for a new global social
contract should be expressed through an initiative to universalize schooling.
Women and girls make up half of the world’s population. They are a determinant force in the creativity capacity and labour, economic and spiritual potential of all our societies. The new global social pact must take a leap forward in protecting the effective exercise of women’s rights, which are human rights. In addition to their being recognized, they must be effectively realized at the local, regional, national and global levels. We must establish concrete gender equity. We must remove all legal, social and economic obstacles to the empowerment of women and girls. We must fully guarantee their rights and eliminate all social norms and practices that discriminate against women. The Government of Peru is committed to doing so.
Peru therefore aligns its national social development agenda with the priority action and agenda of the United Nations with a view to fulfilling and implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. It is time to put the social component at the forefront of international relations and commit ourselves to ensuring that all actions, initiatives and resources of the United Nations system are linked to the fulfilment of the 2030 Agenda. Public diplomacy is not only a national requirement; it is a global imperative.
Human action without respect for nature has led us to question the viability of the planet. The fight against climate change is challenging our consciences. Limiting the temperature increase to between 1.5° and 2.0°C s, a goal set out in the Paris Climate Agreement, is now compromised in its viability. Desertification continues to devastate forests, especially in the Amazon. The effects of climate change are increasingly devastating. The time has come to reconsider our activities so that we can achieve sustainable development in harmony with the planet, with a view to leaving a habitable world for future generations. Moreover, the countries that pollute the most must imperatively comply with the obligations they have assumed.
Peru has set the goals of becoming a carbon-neutral country by 2050 and of reducing greenhouse-gas emissions by 30 to 40 per cent, in line with projections for 2030. As an expression of the Peruvian Government’s commitment to the health of the planet, we will declare a national climate emergency.
This Assembly will once again debate the acute and serious problem of terrorism. Peru has suffered terrorist violence and has been able to overcome it. We condemn and reject terrorism in all its forms. We support all efforts to combat it. We are committed to the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy.
Terrorism has never been and never will be a means for social transformation. Violence only generates destruction and human rights violations, and its victims are the poorest and most dispossessed. Terrorism violates human dignity and is irreconcilable with the values of a democratic society.
At the regional level, Peru is committed to peace and international security, respect for international law and an inclusive agenda.
As a teacher, I am convinced of the power of education. If we do not make the Governments of the world help children, we will have done little or nothing. The present is fragile for global diplomacy, especially for multilateralism. But I believe that our collective will always be the stronger force. I am confident that, through a new global agenda initiative, together we can build a world of peace, friendship, cooperation and well-being for all. As a teacher and a Head of State, I must tell Assembly members: we invest in education because an educated people can never be deceived.