Chile

I would like to congratulate you, Sir, on your election to preside over the General Assembly. I would also like to reiterate Chile’s support for the new Secretary-General. Chile will participate in all the undertakings of the United Nations. The international community knows about my people’s devotion to peace, justice, freedom and solidarity. It knows that this country at the southern edge of the world despite the size of its economy and population, as well as its remoteness has espoused the great causes of humankind. It knows about Chile’s contributions in the areas of poverty, AIDS, hunger and social cohesion. It knows that we have made substantial contributions to the promotion and observance of human rights. It knows that, even in difficult times, we have always supported international law and world peace with dignity and determination. Mine is a country that believes in progress and in the ability of human beings to be the authors of their own destiny and to build a better future. The world is an uncertain place when we are not able to act together. Globalization becomes unpredictable when we are not able to manage it. That is the reason we need to promote the greatest possible sustainable development with greater justice and social equity for all humankind. To that end, it is crucial that we craft agreements and strengthen multilateral institutions, all the while making progress in the areas of disarmament and non-proliferation; that we begin negotiations on the reform and expansion of the Security Council; and that we make progress in the area of management reform on the subject of which Chile, South Africa, Sweden and Thailand have put forth a proposal for the consideration of Member States. The major tasks facing us today will probably require more consensus-building than ever before known. How can we ensure once and for all that human rights are respected throughout the entire world? How can we halt climate change on all continents and oceans? How can we make equity and social justice for all the men and women of the world a concern of all countries? Those are the major challenges which we, as an international community, must today tackle urgently and with dedication. Chile will vigorously promote universal respect for human rights. The establishment of a fairer and more humane international order will be possible only if we place respect for the dignity of the human person at the heart of the debate. We in Chile will work not only to improve our own practices and domestic legislation, but also to promote the strengthening of human rights, economic and social development, peace and security. As the General Assembly is aware, human rights have been at centre of Chile’s recent history. For the citizens of my country no place is too remote nor any situation too foreign when it comes to protecting human lives and dignity. We are pleased with the progress made in the area of norms, both internationally and nationally. We welcome the adoption and opening for signature of the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, which fills a gap in the system for protecting human rights from a crime against humanity. Chile signed that instrument and expects to ratify it in the near future. In addition, the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment is in the process of being approved by our National Congress. The new United Nations Human Rights Council should continue to promote a more effective international regime for protection, early warning and promotion in the area of human rights. We also strongly support the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which is a very important step in the recognition of the rights of those peoples. We shall also work to ensure that democracy and freedom are consolidated throughout the world. Democracy is a universal value, but it is a process that must be supported over time. That is why we will strongly support the United Nations Democracy Fund, so that this aspiration becomes a reality. We are studying with concern the scientific evidence showing the devastating effects of climate change on our planet. Yesterday we were discussing its social, human and economic effects. We are glad that the world is beginning to take notice of this. It is clear that there is a serious threat to our future, and we must act now. In Chile, for example, we have seen that the speed with which the glaciers are melting has doubled in the past ten years. Our southern zones are, in turn, experiencing a dangerous depletion of the ozone layer, jeopardizing the health of our citizens. Although we are not the ones mainly responsible for this deterioration, Chile has begun to take the necessary steps to mitigate the effects of global warming and to combine efforts so that, as a matter of urgency, solutions may be found. As has been said here many times, there is no time to lose. The consensus that we must reach, the effort to enlist the greatest possible support, is comparable only to the international mobilization that led to the adoption of the San Francisco Charter six decades ago. If we do not act now, the future of all humanity will be endangered. Therefore we all have the obligation to construct a new global political consensus to generate collective action capable of solving the problem in accordance with the principle of shared but differentiated responsibility and within the framework of the United Nations. All of us must contribute, but especially those who have already polluted and achieved development. We ask the developed countries to pledge technical and financial assistance to the developing countries that most need help with their efforts to combat climate change. We strongly hope that at the meetings of the Parties to the Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol to be held in December in Bali, progress will be made in defining the parameters of a post-2012 process. We also hope that the developed countries will make greater commitments regarding mitigation, adaptation, technology transfer and financing. We must, however, realize that the greatest efforts by the developed countries will not suffice to halt climate change. It is also necessary that the developing countries take additional emission reduction actions in the framework of a global effort within the scope of the Convention. I am the bearer of a message of hope as well for all nations seeking to eradicate poverty and build fairer and more inclusive societies. We still have a lot to do. Nonetheless, we can say that Chile has moved closer to becoming the country that we so deeply desire, enjoying greater prosperity and greater social justice. We are eradicating poverty. In 17 years of democracy, we have reduced poverty from 40 to 13.7 per cent. We have achieved practically all of the Millennium Development Goals. It is an ambitious objective, but one that is justified by our achievements. We are constructing a social welfare system that guarantees the social rights of Chilean men and women from the cradle to old age. We are protecting our children girls and boys, our young people, our mothers and fathers, grandfathers and grandmothers. We know that we are not alone in this effort. Poverty, hunger, extreme inequality and exclusion are realities that exist all over the world. With regard to the fulfilment of the Millennium Goals, progress has been made in some regions, but it is not enough. We, therefore, join in the commitment to the forthcoming launch of the Global Business Plan for Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5 that is, to greatly reduce maternal and child mortality. We do not need new commitments; we simply need to fulfil the commitments already made. My country supports the idea of holding an international conference to focus concerted worldwide efforts on attaining the Millennium Goals, proposed by the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, so that the dream of also globalizing the prosperity that some have already achieved can come true in the not too distant future. We can also emphasize innovative development financing mechanisms for development in order to combat inequality and promote social cohesion. We are on the right track. As the Assembly knows well, the Presidents of Brazil, France, Chile, Spain and Germany, among others, organized an Initiative on Action Against Hunger and Poverty and their UNITAID Initiative, through which we have managed to collect hundreds of millions of dollars to finance the purchase of drugs to treat AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria; these medicines have been given to hundreds of thousands of children, mainly in Africa. But we have to do more. Social equity and the construction of a world with a human face should become a central topic on our global agenda. The three major causes that I have mentioned can be tackled only by common accord of the international community. Hence, the importance of our commitment to effective and efficient multilateralism, with the United Nations as its centre of gravity. We are at a complex juncture, but one of great opportunity. What we do or fail to do in the next few years will determine the future of our descendants. It all depends on us. Now is the time to act.