At the outset, allow me, on behalf of the Republic of
Paraguay, to offer you, Mr. President, our best wishes
for success in your delicate and important tasks at the
helm of the General Assembly at its sixty-ninth session.
I also wish to express my delegation’s appreciation to
Mr. John Ashe, President of the General Assembly at its
sixty-eighth session, for his significant achievements.
The Government of Paraguay is attending the
general debate to reaffirm the importance and call for
the strengthening of the United Nations as a forum
capable of representing the interests of all Member
States in our urgent search for a more just, united
and equitable world, guaranteed by the full force of
international law. At the same time, and as we approach
the seventieth year since the creation of the most
important debating forum in the history of humankind,
we believe it right to recall that our Organization, the
United Nations, was created precisely as a forum for
peace among peace-loving nations, as expressed at the
various international conferences that led to its creation.
That reminder seems even timely and relevant to us,
since the concept of peace is now more necessary than
ever in various parts of the world such as the Middle
East and the Black Sea region.
The Republic of Paraguay reiterates its commitment
to ensuring that all social issues are addressed. In that
regard, the Government of President Horacio Manuel
Cartes Jara is dealing decisively with the development,
execution and implementation of social policies that
address various demands, with special emphasis on
the needs of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged
sectors of our population, including the elderly, the
rural population, indigenous communities, migrants,
children, adolescents and women. We have an obligation
to enable members of those groups to be included as
full citizens.
In that regard, I would make a special reference to
the World Conference of Indigenous Peoples, held at
Headquarters a few days ago, which was convened to
listen to the true thoughts and feelings of our native
and indigenous peoples. Indigenous cultural heritage
has been and remains one of the key elements shaping
Paraguay’s cultural identity and has led to miscegenation
as the main social factor unifying the native Guarani
population and the European conquerors. Our country
is proud of the linguistic, cultural and political character
of Paraguay, which boasts the native Guarani language
of our ancestors as its everyday language.
In line with the efforts made by the Government
since it took office in August 2013, we believe solidarity
and partnership is necessary among countries, whether
developing or developed, and international financing
institutions. We also take into account the fact that,
often, vulnerability stems from other areas, such as a
lack of decent jobs, educational opportunities, access to
international markets and timely cooperation and from
issues for which responsibility does not lie exclusively
with the State but also with the private sector, as it
generates wealth and decent employment. In that
regard, we call on the United Nations bodies that work
for cooperation to further strengthen their presence
in Paraguay and support national policies aimed at
strengthening democracy and social justice.
For the first time since its inception nearly a decade
ago, my country is aspiring to secure a seat on the
Human Rights Council for the 2015-2017 period. For the
Republic of Paraguay, the protection and promotion of
human rights are the foundation for effective democracy.
They are fundamental values that are enshrined and
guaranteed in our Constitution, which expressly
states that international human rights treaties cannot
be rejected except through the procedures governing
amendments to our Constitution. On the basis of those
constitutional assurances and commitments, we are
confident that we can play more than a constructive
role and thus consolidate the actions of the Council to
effectively strengthen the promotion and protection of
human rights around the world.
Paraguay, in accordance with its Government’s
policy, will continue to continuously support and
follow issues in the United Nations relating to the
promotion of youth participation in social and economic
development, persons with disabilities, migrant
workers, the elimination of violence against women,
the rights of the child, the elimination of discrimination
on the basis of religious beliefs and the protection of
human rights and their relation to extreme poverty.
In Paraguay, we support the globalization of
democracy through social development. We also believe
in universal security based on respect for human rights
as an unwavering commitment to the dignity of human
life. We therefore hope to build a regional and global
community that, hand in hand and in solidarity, devotes
its efforts to eradicating hunger and poverty, effectively
cooperating to promote the participation of all, in
prosperity, through quality education and a system of
inclusive social protection.
As a sign of Paraguay’s desire to respond to the
changing times, our President recently promulgated the
Law on Free Access by Citizens to Public Information
and Government Transparency as an important tool
enabling every citizen to act as comptroller of public
expenditures. The Law, which was recently adopted,
states that all institutions must disseminate information
as widely as possible. The Law also guarantees access
by every citizen to all public information.
We in Paraguay believe that the concept of
development should include, as a sine qua non, the
principle of social inclusion. The major challenge of
achieving development that overcomes asymmetries
leads inevitably to efforts promoting and achieving
an optimal quality of life for all our citizens without
exception. We must give a human face to our growth.
Our citizens deserve, and have the right to, a more
dignified life and overall well-being.
We are currently working to establish a post-2015
development agenda that is sustainable and has a focus
on poverty, education, health and social inclusion. We
have learned that the Millennium Development Goals
have been and are important but not sufficient, and
that humankind should be the focus of policy. In that
context, we believe that, for the post-2015 development
agenda to be successful, it must be accompanied by a
better distribution of international financial resources.
Paraguay needs international cooperation that
is aligned with its socioeconomic priorities, the
development and strengthening of its institutions and
preferential treatment for its most vulnerable sectors.
We hope that the opening of developing countries
helps bridge inequalities and that the same restrictions
that the more developed economies are demanding
in the process of their own development will not
be applied. Paraguay’s position, like that of many
developing countries, is that South-South cooperation
is not a substitute for but a complement to North-South
cooperation and triangular cooperation. We believe
that the United Nations, as the universal forum, should
play a central role in ensuring success in our efforts to
achieve better international coordination and coherence
in the economic and financial spheres.
As the high-level Climate Summit was also held a
few days ago here at Headquarters in New York, we
believe it is necessary to recall that Paraguay is aware
that climate change poses a serious and complex threat
to the world, as highlighted by the growing negative
impacts we are experiencing due to the resulting
droughts, floods and other adverse phenomena, which
spread poverty, cause forced displacements and may
affect international peace and security.
This situation urgently requires a coordinated and
responsible global response in order to find ways to
mitigate, alleviate and reverse climate change’s tragic
and devastating consequences. In addition, Paraguay
supports the principle of common but differentiated
responsibilities, on the basis of which countries that
have contributed more to the historical and current
levels of pollution must shoulder correspondingly
greater responsibilities. That principle should be used
as an objective criterion, and its implementation will
contribute to efforts to mitigate the global impact of
climate change.
The issue of landlocked developing countries is
of fundamental importance for Paraguay’s foreign
policy. The asymmetries and disadvantages that that
geographical situation brings about will be offset only
if there is international recognition of the need for a
special and differential agreement on the country’s
integration into the globalized world. Paraguay, along
with other landlocked developing countries in the world,
of which there are over 30, faces difficulties in terms of
open access to international markets, mainly owing to
the restrictions on free transit through transit countries
and the lack of special and differential treatment,
which would allow them to engage in greater and more
competitive participation in world markets.
This year is particularly important for us because
in November the second United Nations Conference on
Landlocked Developing Countries, to be held in Vienna,
will review the Almaty Programme of Action. While
the condition of being a landlocked developing country
is a disadvantage for Paraguay, we are convinced that
we can overcome that adversity. We are working so
that our territory can become, in the very near future, a
favourable environment for integration and productive
communication between the two major oceans, the
Atlantic and the Pacific. The new programme of action
to be adopted at the Vienna Conference should be the
framework for mutually beneficial cooperation between
landlocked developing countries and transit countries.
Disarmament, non-proliferation and arms control
are not just key factors to ensure international peace and
security, but also guarantee that the most vulnerable
countries can achieve sustained socioeconomic
development. Only by securing a strong multilateral
system with strict respect for the rule of law at the
international and national levels can we ensure our
mutual security. We are convinced that universal
and binding international instruments in the area of
disarmament and the Arms Trade Treaty, which will
enter into force in the near future, will help improve the
effectiveness of existing regional initiatives to prevent
irresponsible actors from gaining access to weapons.
Again, we urge Israel and Palestine to lay
the foundation for social, political and economic
reconstruction, which should enable both peoples
to live in peace and harmony. Today more than ever,
we must promote the negotiation process between the
parties, which can lead to lasting peace so that Israel
and Palestine can live side by side with secure borders
and in peace.
I also wish to note that Paraguay recognizes
and welcomes the participation and contributions
of the Republic of China (Taiwan) to United Nations
specialized agencies, thanks to a rapprochement
between the two parties of the Taiwan Strait. In a
world beset by conflicts, my Government welcomes
the efforts made by the Republic of China (Taiwan)
to reduce tensions across the Taiwan Strait, which
have contributed significantly to ensuring peace and
stability.
The Republic of Paraguay reiterates its commitment
to international peace and security. In that context,
we reaffirm the political will to increase, to the extent
practicable, our contribution of troops to peacekeeping
operations and to continue to train and equip
peacekeeping forces in accordance with standards
established by the United Nations, so as to progressively
increase our participation in those missions. Regionally,
we recognize the progress achieved by the United
Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti, where the
presence of specialized personnel in Paraguay’s armed
forces, working with other countries in our region, have
played a significant role in humanitarian assistance and
infrastructure engineering projects and in improving
the long-term standard of living to benefit many
generations of Haitians.
Since its inception, the United Nations has focused
all its efforts on constantly evolving so that it can
become a global structure capable of meeting the
current needs of Member States. It is in the desire
for such evolution that Paraguay supports the reform
process for the Organization, thereby strengthening the
General Assembly, which will lead to the restoration
of functions entrusted to that body by the Charter of
the United Nations, as the Assembly is the sole body
with universal representation. On the issue of Security
Council reform, we urge that such reform be done in
accordance with the primary purpose of creating a more
democratic Council. We can no longer delay expansion
of that body. The Council must be more equitable,
inclusive and democratic, reflecting the number of
members of our Organization. We must improve its
working methods and ensure greater transparency in
its management.
As we commemorate in 2015 the seventieth
anniversary of the establishment of the United Nations,
we hope to celebrate concrete results in the work of the
Organization that transcend the mere celebration of
the passage of time. We believe that consolidating the
substantive post-2015 development agenda should lead
to effective and real development for future generations.
That is the greatest legacy we can leave.
Finally, we urge the General Assembly to find
more equitable and just means for establishing the list
of speakers of Heads of State and Government for next
year’s general debate.