Panama welcomes the holding of the seventy-sixth United Nations General Assembly during this extremely challenging time for humankind.
In my address to the General Assembly last year (see A/75/PV.7, annex XIII), I mentioned that the road to building a different post-pandemic world included taking mitigation measures that would enable us to lay a foundation for deep structural change. The pandemic hit each and every one of us, and in its wake has revealed to us in all their harshness the deep inequalities of our societies, globally as well as regionally. Faced with that reality, we can make the choice that leads to division, conflict and indifference, or we can take the path of unity and solidarity. The pandemic has made it clear that in today’s interconnected world, the only path for human survival must be guided by solidarity. Our decisions today matter. They will have good consequences or bad consequences, today, tomorrow and in the long term.
Panama is committed to building a sustainable and inclusive future, and for this, even during the pandemic, we convened a national dialogue with the purpose of making the right decisions, decisions that will last beyond one term of Government. The dialogue, which we call the Bicentennial Pact: Closing Gaps, was built through broad consultation with the support of the United Nations, recognizing that all citizens must make proposals and contributions if we are to lay the foundations for a more just, inclusive and supportive Panama. Regarding the Bicentennial Pact, Michelle Bachelet, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, said,
“What they are doing in Panama can be considered
an example for many other nations. You have a
great opportunity in your hands.”
The pandemic has subjected the nations of the world to monumental challenges. One of those challenges is vaccination. Panama acted with foresight and has been able to obtain enough safe and effective vaccines for its entire population. Thanks to that, we are only weeks away from reaching herd immunity. However, the goal cannot be for some countries to achieve herd immunity when the goal is worldwide immunity.
Another great challenge facing our region, amid the harsh circumstances and conditions imposed by the pandemic, is delivering the aid needed to maintain living conditions and social peace to the population. Since the beginning of the pandemic, our Government has prioritized delivering food and basic supplies to those who have lost their sources of income, especially in the most vulnerable segments of the population. To do that, we developed a plan with two initiatives: one involves the transfer of funds to those most affected through digital vouchers, and the other the distribution of bags of food and supplies to those who live in remote regions that are difficult to access. That plan, which has been in place since March 2020, has evolved according to the dynamics of the pandemic, and in its latest stage, its beneficiaries must choose between providing a community social service or training for work through courses offered by the Government. It is now a social relief plan with shared responsibility. The programme’s effectiveness has been recognized by the Organization of American States and the Inter-American Development Bank. On top of that, according to the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, Panama is one of two Latin American countries that managed to reduce extreme poverty rates in 2020 during the pandemic.
Another challenge that many nations are facing is irregular migration, a long-standing and persistent phenomenon that we cannot ignore. More than 80,000 irregular migrants have crossed Panamanian territory so far in 2021. That figure represents exponential growth. To highlight how dramatic the situation is, Panama went from receiving 800 migrants in January of this year to 30,000 just last month. The majority of those migrants originate from the Caribbean and Africa and have traversed several countries under difficult conditions. Our country, responsibly and with respect for human rights, treats the migrants with dignity and provides them with temporary shelter, medical assistance and food for the first time on their journey. We have dedicated a significant portion of our very limited resources to those tasks. Panama is doing its part. We urge the international community to make a united effort as soon as possible, using coordinated strategies and resources, to forestall a regional humanitarian crisis of serious proportions. That is the responsibility of us all, and it is an urgent one. We hear many speeches, including some very thoughtful ones, but we avoid moving from speeches to concrete actions.
After the pandemic, the greatest challenge that we still have to tackle is climate change. The current refusal
to believe in the reality of climate change and its effects must be relegated to the past. Every major problem facing our planet is connected to climate change. What more do the world’s leaders need to understand that tragic reality? How many more speeches do we need in conference forums to understand that the problem should be our highest priority? Panama is doing its part with regard to this issue as well. We are one of three countries in the world classified as carbon-negative. I repeat, Panama is one of the only three carbon-negative countries in the world. In Panama, the country with the best maritime and air connectivity in Latin America and the Caribbean, a transit country with a logistics industry, we have understood that what is good for the planet is good for the economy and for all of our countries. Panamanians have taken on the responsibility of being blessed with one of the most richly biodiverse areas in the world. Panama is a blue-world leader, complying with the 30x30 Initiative to protect 30 per cent of our oceans, a goal that we have reached nine years before the deadline of 2030.
Panama once again offers itself as a bridge to bring nations closer together, seek shared, concrete solutions to problems and face regional and global challenges. We can do it, with a road map marked by solidarity and respect for human rights. We can do it through broad and honest dialogue, focusing international efforts on maintaining social peace and providing the necessary vaccines to all countries in order to save lives, preserve health and get all of us on the road to economic recovery as soon as possible. For all of those immense challenges, the future is now. Let us make no mistake. For all of those immense challenges, the future is now. The time for stories and philosophy is over. The time for fairy tales and words is over. The time for promises is over. The moment of truth has arrived. The time for action has come. Panama is doing its part.