At the outset, I wish to congratulate Mr. Sam Kutesa,
Minister for Foreign Affairs of Uganda, on his election
as President of the General Assembly at its sixty-ninth
session.
I am from a region that, in my youth, lived through
challenging conflicts. That inspired me to go into
public life, which in turn has allowed me to address
the General Assembly in my capacity as President of
the Republic of Panama at a time when the world is
enduring conflicts and very serious situations that call
for all of us to take action. I am speaking on behalf
of a noble, wholesome and peaceful people, whom I
greet and warmly embrace from this rostrum. Panama
is a peace-loving country that has granted me the
opportunity to lead a Government that is steering our
country to a foreign policy of unity and consensus,
based on our geographic location and the mandate of
being a champion of peace and the common good of all
the inhabitants of this beautiful planet.
Despite the serious conflicts raging throughout the
world today, America is at peace. The major challenges
we face today are inequality, the fight against organized
crime and drug and human trafficking, and the need
to regulate migration flowing out of necessity into
countries with more developed economies. Those
challenges are being addressed by our Governments, but
they require further coordination. As leaders, we must
understand that in order to achieve and maintain peace
throughout the world, we must first lead our nations
along the same path. This is why I am committed to
social justice, to strengthening the rule of law, and to
leading an honest, humane Government that is in touch
with the people and whose strength is based on the
principle that public office is solely for the service of
others, putting our country’s resources at the service of
the people of Panama, the region and the world.
Fourteen years ago, the Heads of State and of
Government of the international community gathered
in the General Assembly to approve the Millennium
Declaration (resolution 55/2), which defined a global
development agenda to address various common
challenges and improve the standards of living of our
peoples. Despite their differences of the time, countries
were able to agree and to reach a consensus to respect the
priorities of each nation, focusing on the achievement
of fundamental goals aimed at guaranteeing the human
potential of our citizens.
Today, nearly a decade and a half after that
historic Declaration, all countries without exception,
through different Governments, have made important
progress in meeting the Millennium Development
Goals (MDGs). Nonetheless, not only have many of
the challenges defined in the MDGs not been met,
but new ones have arisen that require us to build a
new consensus and to establish goals at the regional,
hemispheric and global levels. That is why, on behalf
of the people and the Government of Panama, I would
like to reiterate our commitment to being a facilitator
of dialogue that allows for bringing the international
community together anew so that we may redefine the
post-2015 global development agenda.
For the past five centuries, the isthmus of Panama
has been the transit route of civilizations. Today, our
country is still committed to that role. This year, as we
mark the centennial of the Panama Canal, we reiterate
our commitment to being a nation at the service of the
international community, with the Canal, our logistic
system, ports, airports and our heartfelt embrace of all
countries of the world.
As they do in this building, the United Nations
Headquarters, all the worlds’ flags come together
in the Panama Canal, and that is a source of pride
and satisfaction for all Panamanians. It makes us
a country of convergence, and we therefore have a
great responsibility to the Panamanian people and
the international community. Furthermore, Panama
has assumed the challenge of completing the Canal
expansion project, which we will do with firmness,
determination and the support of professionals and
workers from Panama and various other nations.
Panamanians feel a great responsibility to
contributing to the search for understanding in order to
maintain social peace, promote international security
and join efforts towards the solution of common
problems that affect us. That is why we reaffirm today
our vocation as a country of dialogue, ready to fulfil the
responsibility of uniting the Americas and the world
within the framework of the United Nations and in every
opportunity we have to mediate in disputes that hinder
us from reaching agreements towards tackling the new
global challenges. In April 2015, our country will host
the Summit of the Americas, and we are working on
this event that will bring together all the Heads of State
and Government of our hemisphere in order to promote
integration and social peace with equity and prosperity.
The 193 countries of the world have different
political systems, beliefs, religions and cultures that
must be respected. In spite of those differences, we
all face common challenges. That is why, in order to
secure the well-being of our citizens, our Governments
are called to find unity of criteria for strengthening
multilateral systems, which must be engaged with all
the strength of States in order to combat shared threats
and problems.
Within conflicts and difficult situations at the global
level, there are strong messages of hope — volunteer
medical doctors from all over the world are making
progress to fight Ebola in Africa, and several countries
are united in the fight against terrorists whose atrocious
crimes affect innocent people and threaten international
peace and security. Panama is aware of those efforts
and supports them. We express our solidarity with all
victims and their families.
I am convinced that the men and women we elect
to public office must serve only the people who elected
us and manage public power temporarily granted to us
with the purpose of improving the quality of life of our
population. Politics is one of the strongest expressions
of public service because it is the search for the common
good. The greatest legacy, which I will strive to build
during the next five years, is to leave the Panamanian
people a functional democracy, to strengthen the rule
of law, where public servants are accountable only to
the nation, with strong institutions, accountability and
without impunity, with a view to guaranteeing that
public administrations are honest and transparent. All
Governments have the obligation to ensure that State
resources are used exclusively in the service of our
citizens, and that all public works and projects have the
people’s interests in mind.
Committed to that mission and to the achievement of
the Millennium Development Goals, I became President
of my country on 1 July and formed a Government that
will continue to foster the economic growth enjoyed
by Panama, while giving priority to public investment
that has greater impact on the quality of life of all
Panamanians. With an average domestic economic
growth of 7 per cent, increasing foreign investment,
legal security, low inflation and unemployment rates,
and a consolidated democratic system, we are making
good on the proposals for which I was elected.
During our mandate, we have taken strong measures
to curb speculation in the cost of food. We are working
to ensure that Panamanian families have adequate
housing with access to drinking water, basic sanitation,
water supply, sewage systems and treatment plants for
waste water and solid waste. We have launched major
social projects for our youth so that they grow up in safe
neighbourhoods with better opportunities, jobs, sports
facilities and cultural centres to keep them away from
crime.
Our public schools will have adequate facilities
and teachers trained in the English language, in order
to promote a bilingual education. Our social welfare
programmes will allow all students to finish high school
and senior citizens to live with dignity. Our students
will have the opportunity to go to college or study at
newly established higher technical institutes that will
prepare them for the new jobs that our economy is
creating in the areas of logistics and tourism, inter alia.
Our public health system will be unified, and the
resulting savings will be used to strengthen preventive
health programmes, ensuring better medical care, and
premium quality treatments and medication. We are
building a modern and efficient public transportation
system with the new projects to add second and third
lines to the Metro of Panama City, thereby improving
the quality of life of our people. We will develop tourism
and support air connectivity to and from principal
cities in the United States, Canada, Latin America, the
Caribbean and Europe. We will protect our logistical
and financial systems to prevent organized crime and
gangs from gaining access to them, and we shall tackle
organized crime and gangs with the full force of the
State in order to defeat them and keep them away from
our youth and our neighbourhoods.
Our Government will work tirelessly to prepare our
young people to be responsible citizens of the world
and care for our natural resources in order to ensure
sustainable development. We will work closely with the
private sector and civil society in order to fulfil those
national goals, the Millennium Development Goals and
the new challenges of the global agenda.
We live in a diverse world, with different cultures,
religions and political systems, but we can always find
common ground in the well-being of our citizens. That
was the approach that led to the successful adoption
of the Millennium Declaration, and it will be the key
to defining and fulfilling the post-2015 development
agenda.
Panama is a country that is respectful of others and
willing to serve as a bridge to understanding, on the
basis of respect for diversity, tolerance, pluralism and
human rights. Above all, the Assembly can be assured
that Panama’s Government is a Government of men and
women who respect the law and are willing to share
experiences, learn from best practices and contribute
to global peace, socio-economic development and the
well-being of all peoples.
I would like to conclude by sharing a statement that
has been with me since my youth: “The time has come
to put our capacity to use in service of others.” May
God give us the strength to continue to build together a
better world for our citizens and for future generations.