We are here to renew our commitment to the ideals and principles that animate the United Nations — peace, the diplomatic resolution of conflicts and respect for human rights and freedoms. In this brief address. I will share our vision and efforts to address the global challenges we face, from climate change and chronic child malnutrition to the most urgent threats to our security.
Since the beginning of my Administration, we have implemented a historic environmental transition policy that preserves our natural heritage. At the same time, we have made great strides in the transition from unsustainable production systems to a circular and low- emission economy. In January 2022. we expanded the protection of the Galapagos Islands with the creation of the Hermandad Marine Reserve, which has an area of 60.000 square kilometres. This decision constitutes the greatest advance in my country’s history towards
the preservation of our incomparable biodiversity. In addition, we strengthened the Eastern Tropical Pacific Marine Corridor in a unity of purpose with our sister nations of Colombia. Costa Rica and Panama, and together we have created the world’s largest transboundary reserve, protecting 500.000 square kilometres inhabited by countless unique species that use those migratory routes. We did it for our peoples and for the world.
Above all. my Government has been able to balance environmental concerns with good economic sense. We have pioneered the implementation of an innovative debt-for-conservation swap initiative that redirects resources to the protection of the Galapagos Islands — which is certainly great news for the world. The debt swap amounted to $1.63 billion, making it the largest operation of its kind in the history of humankind. That figure is equivalent to 10 per cent of the public debt owed by Ecuador to external private creditors. Of that amount. $450 million will be directed to the Galapagos Life Fund, for the protection of marine ecosystems and their more than 2.500 species. 38 of which are migratory.
We are thereby showing the world how debt and all its attendant financial burden can be turned into various kinds of opportunities. We therefore want to take this opportunity to express our concern about the imminent and increasingly likely El Nino phenomenon, which could cause devastating floods in Ecuador and throughout the region. On the threshold of the potential occurrence of an event of such proportions, we have prioritized prevention and are working together with the United Nations to seek financing alternatives through multilateral organizations. We call on the international community to consider risk-mitigation measures through large financial funds and non-reimbursable international cooperation, given that it is climate change that will determine the severity of the phenomenon.
We are facing an enormous task that will require a coordinated approach by all sectors of the international community if we are to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and safeguard the future of all. However, our concerns are not limited to environmental issues. We are also focusing on improving the quality of life of the most disadvantaged sectors of society, particularly children. In the face of the alarming numbers that we identified regarding chronic child malnutrition, we have been implementing the successful Ecuador Grows Without Child Malnutrition programme, through which, in just 28 months, we have reduced the rate of malnutrition in children under two years old by 3.5 per cent, lowering the overall figure from 23.6 per cent to 20.1 per cent.
Children who suffer malnutrition at that stage of life face grave and irreversible consequences. It affects their neurological development and ability to learn, communicate, think and relate to others. In other words, those children are faced with enormous disadvantages from the beginning of their lives that will have a negative impact on their future. In view of that painful reality, we have been implementing our public programme strategically, by providing pregnant women and children in their first 1.000 days of life with medicines and vitamins, in addition to refitting and equipping health centres, recruiting more doctors specializing in family medicine, obstetricians and nurses, and hiring 50.000 community workers to monitor neighbourhoods in order to detect cases of malnutrition in a timely manner.
Thanks to that action, more than 20.000 children under the age of two are free from chronic malnutrition, and my Government has achieved all of that through an investment of $650 million in a matter of 28 months in office. Achieving solutions does not depend on how much money a State has but on the degree of political will of those who govern it. Even in a context of lower- than-average oil prices, my Government has prioritized State resources for this cause because there can be no growth or economic development if we do not invest in social issues and in our children. We hope to share our experience with everyone here in this Hall and to unite our efforts so that in the near future we can all say together that the world is growing without child malnutrition.
Ecuador is striving to promote safe and responsible migration. We are one of the few countries that has experienced every facet of migration. We are a country of origin, destination, transit, return and even refuge. Migration has been a challenge for the region in recent years, as it involves addressing complex situations that create great challenges with cultural, economic and social implications. Given the fact that Ecuador has welcomed thousands of migrants of various nationalities, identifying their distinct needs, conditions, experiences and activities has become a key objective in ensuring a comprehensive approach. In that regard, we have launched a registration process for foreign nationals residing in our country, regardless of their immigration status, and that registry now numbers some 201.000 persons. Most of them are Venezuelan citizens who arrived in Ecuador fleeing hunger and authoritarianism. We want to give them a better future, guarantee all of their rights and grant them humanitarian visas so that they can regularize their status and integrate more easily into society. We have opened our arms to protect those who have sought refuge in our country. Children, with or without documents, are admitted into schools, and anyone can receive care in our public hospitals. However, that open-door policy requires the valued support of the international community. Our action has been consistent and supportive, and we humbly expect reciprocal cooperation.
After 31 years, this year Ecuador took on the challenge of returning to the Security Council. We did so at a critical time for humankind and in the context of extremely complex situations, including the global vulnerability in the wake of the pandemic and an unexpected military conflict that has increased nuclear tensions. Meanwhile, new problems related to radicalization and violent extremism have also been emerging, and Ecuador has risen to the challenge. During the nine months of our membership on the Council, we have consistently acted in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations, prioritizing the peaceful resolution of conflicts, the protection of civilians, the women and peace and security agenda and the fight against illegal arms trafficking. Our actions have responded in particular to new threats such as transnational organized crime, which undermines democratic stability, citizens’ security and the rule of law.
I want to reiterate the statement I made at the Council’s high-level meeting this morning on Ukraine (see 8/?V.9421). in which I urged once again for an end to the military aggression in compliance with the order issued by the International Court of Justice, and for progress towards a peace based on the territorial integrity of Ukraine and the Charter. We have warned that the conflict is not only inflicting pain and destruction on the people of Ukraine but also worsening global food insecurity and destabilizing the global economy, especially for developing countries. We therefore insist on the resumption of the Black Sea Grain Initiative. All wars and conflicts must end.
I shall devote the remainder of my statement to an issue that is of the utmost concern to Ecuador and the world — the historic moment that required that I become Head of a State that, like few others, faces the violent siege of an enemy whose allies traverse the porous borders that continue to divide the legal world from the illegal world. I refer to transnational organized crime, in particular drug trafficking and its dangerous and growing ramifications in the public sphere. My Government has broken records in drug seizures. We have seized more than 500 tons in just two years, a figure that far exceeds that of previous Governments. What we face today are the repercussions of the blow dealt to the pockets of criminals. Our policy has had such an impact that, last year, the United Nations recognized Ecuador as the third-foremost country globally in the seizure of drugs, after the United States and Colombia.
A few weeks ago. Ecuador experienced an unprecedented event in its history: the assassination of a presidential candidate. I refer to Fernando Villavicencio, a brilliant and brave Ecuadorian who boldly denounced the operations of organized crime and its links with political mafias. Transnational organized crime is a corrupting and murderous system that infiltrates society and the State, challenges the democratic stability of our countries and develops at great speed. The problem is not exclusive to Ecuador; it is a global problem, given that much of the planet suffers from the same phenomena as Ecuador — trafficking in drugs, weapons and humans, forced migration and illegal mining. If we do not fight together, we will continue to suffer alone. If the enemy has the capacity to multiply, then States must multiply our efforts even faster. It is imperative for the future survival of States that we establish lasting, robust and effective mechanisms to put an end to criminal organizations and those who sponsor or cover up for them. If we wish to fully share the benefits of the globalized world, we must also confront together the adversities that entails. In that and each of the battles we face together. States can always count on the unwavering commitment of Ecuador.