I would like to acknowledge the work of the President of the seventy-seventh session and to congratulate the President of this session. Mr. Dennis Francis, by welcoming the theme adopted for the session on the need to rebuild trust among nations and to address threats to peace, prosperity and the progress of the peoples of the United Nations.
Today we find ourselves at an unprecedented time. For more than a year and a half, we have watched with horror the war launched against Ukraine by the Russian Federation, which violates the most elementary principles on which the international order was based after the Second World War. Delegations know what the worst thing is — that we seem to have got used to it. We have become accustomed to flagrant violations of human rights in Ukraine, to war and to death. Worse still, instead of dealing with it. we have become
accustomed to looking the other way in the face of a sad and stark reality that we try to ignore. That has led us to mistrust among human beings, inequality among nations and a lack of respect for peace agreements. In those circumstances, human prosperity and progress are impossible.
Today, here, before all. I declare that this Organization is not the most active: we have food insecurity, deaths due to wars and large-scale migration, among many other problems. We must therefore make it work. We must all work together. We need a revitalized Organization that seeks solutions but. above all. we need countries that are willing to overcome their ideological positions and their long-standing conflicts. This is the time for human beings, represented by their peoples, to shake hands and to be ready to share their wealth by investing in countries that need it in order to generate the wealth to survive. It is about saving the human race. It is about saving the planet. It is about having future generations living in peace and development. As an example of what I am talking about, we can mention the vast movements of human beings fleeing the crises in their countries due to insecurity, a lack of food or the economic conditions.
Under that new order, we must therefore achieve a United Nations striving for peace and human development. We must demand respect for international law. respect for the peaceful settlement of disputes and respect for the self-determination of peoples. To achieve that, every country must raise its voice. Every country must say “enough is enough”. Today my country joins the cry to say “enough is enough”. My country joins the global call for the immediate withdrawal of Russian forces, while respecting the territorial integrity and national unity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders. Glory to Ukraine.
Disarmament and the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons, as well as the use of nuclear energy for peaceful uses, are among the most important pillars of the Organization. As a State party to the Treaty of Tlatelolco. the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, my country is deeply committed to the common goal of a world free of weapons of mass destruction. Imagine what a catastrophe it would be for the world if the Russian Federation’s illegal and unprovoked aggression were to destroy the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant, the largest nuclear power plant in Europe, the physical integrity and operation of which are threatened, and which could cause a disaster of unimaginable magnitude. That is why I reiterate Guatemala’s position as a country that respects the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons. I urge that all nuclear-weapon States, including the five permanent members of the Security Council, charged with maintaining peace and security within this Organization, sit down and candidly achieve total global nuclear disarmament.
Guatemala contributes to the maintenance of international security through its active participation in peacekeeping operations. As a country that promotes peace. Guatemala has committed to the United Nations by deploying Guatemalan officers, making us the fourth-largest troop contributor in the Americas.
We reiterate our firm commitment to. and solidarity with, the development and prosperity of the Haitian people, who are at risk owing to a multidimensional crisis of a political nature, internal security and a lack of development and the humanitarian crisis that they are experiencing. As an international community, we must respond and deal with catastrophes before they become even more devastating. If this Organization decides on a new peace mission to be deployed on Haitian territory, it can count on Guatemala’s participation in the instruction and training of Haitian forces for as long as the peace mission is present in that country.
In the proposed change to the foundations of the United Nations so that it has the mechanisms to enable it to meet the main challenges facing humankind, so in need of peace and development. Guatemala calls on the community of States to make rapid progress on a proposal, under the aegis of country-level experts, to define substantive reforms to the United Nations so that it can return to the commendable path following its founding in 1945. with which, over the years, we have forgotten to fully comply.
I propose that we initiate as soon as possible a fourth amendment to the founding Charter, that addresses such new approaches and is in line with the current times, which are indeed difficult times, but they also bring with them great opportunities. In that amendment, it must be ensured that recognition of the sovereign equality of States is a reality, that the peaceful resolution of conflicts between countries is an obligation and that nuclear energy is used only
for peaceful purposes, but. perhaps most important of all. that the Members of the United Nations do not exclude anyone.
As our book Popol Vuh. from one of the world’s greatest civilizations, the Mayan civilization, says: “Let no one be left behind; let everyone rise up”. Today I wish to say that, as the ruler of a founding country of the United Nations. I recognize that the transformation of this body will lead to a radical change in multilateralism. It must acknowledge the importance of the inclusiveness and universality of this Organization.
How can it be. in the twenty-first century, that this Organization excludes a country like Taiwan? It is a country that contributes to science, sophisticated technology, health and development, among many other things. However, what is most important is that we have prevented the citizens of Taiwan from having a voice to represent them in this forum. Guatemala calls on the United Nations to exhaust all necessary means to ensure international peace and security in the Taiwan Strait. We also condemn the constant and increasing military manoeuvres in the waters and airspace around Taiwan, which endanger the security of the region, and which affect international transportation and trade.
Four years ago. I took office as President of the Republic of Guatemala. In that time. I have heard great speeches, and major treaties and commitments have been signed to stop climate change. I want to tell everyone that the world today is worse than it was four years ago. The world needs action more than speeches, commitments and treaties. The region that suffers the most from the impacts of climate change is the Caribbean and Central American region. Although we generate only a small percentage of greenhouse gases, we suffer the most damage year after year. We are exhausting our resources and must in-debt ourselves in order to rebuild countries that are damaged again the following year, which leads us to seek out loans from international sources that grant them very happily and then live off of international usury. The reports of United Nations rapporteurs then speak of the lack of human development in our countries. They criticize and point fingers at us. But who points the finger at those who. due to industrialization and lack of commitment to combating the impacts of climate change and greenhouse gases, cause the death of human beings around the world? There are countries that neither accept the United Nations agreements on climate change nor pay their budgetary contributions. and yet refuse to accept responsibility for the high level of pollution caused by their industries, much less for the destruction they cause. Is that fair?
The serious threat of drug use. especially synthetic drugs, should be a topic of great concern for the international community. It is an invisible enemy that has an impact on health in addition to affecting governance and slowing the development of countries. Among the changes in the approach to this issue that the Organization must make, countries must understand that transnational crime must be combated transnationally. because, as it turns out. the large consumer countries are also the main countries that launder money, a product of the drug business, making this fight a global responsibility. We have to end it. The fight against drug trafficking, including synthetic drugs, must be a joint and coordinated effort in which information flows in accordance with domestic and international regulations. We must implement effective strategies to confront criminal organizations that cause hundreds of thousands of deaths per year. A world free of drugs will not be achieved without a world committed to fighting them.
Guatemala is firmly committed to the promotion of food security and the zero-hunger goal in the framework of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. To that end. we have increased our national food budget and strengthened the school nutrition law. which aims to guarantee the nutrition of school-age children and adolescents in a sustainable way. with a view to guaranteeing their ability to enjoy a decent, healthy and active life. I am proud to report that, in 2022. 2.6 million students in public educational centres benefitted from those efforts. Guatemala also notes with alarm that the Black Sea Grain Initiative was not renewed. We highlight the risks that poses to food security worldwide, including difficulties for humanitarian operations that help to alleviate hunger worldwide and the destabilization of food prices. We condemn the use of hunger as a tool of war. That is a violation of human rights and international humanitarian law. We call for good sense and cooperation, and for preventing the further deterioration of the global food situation.
A topic that does not seem important but should be significant for a revitalized Organization is cultural heritage, because our world’s mosaic of cultural diversity is threatened by war. We must reinforce and safeguard the evidence of our past, which is essential to understanding our present and building our future.
Guatemala has worked very hard to care for our heritage and to showcase to the world our ancient cultural wealth, and it is with satisfaction and pride that we can say that the celebration of Holy Week was declared a part of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity. I also wish to mention that yesterday the Tak’alik Ab’aj National Park, which is considered to be the first city where the Mayan civilization originated, was declared a World Heritage site. As the old saying goes, he who does not know his past cannot make the best of his present and future.
Guatemala is known for its consistent calls for respect for international law and respect for sovereignty. We have done the work and proved that differences can be resolved through international justice mechanisms. Such is the case with our territorial, insular and maritime dispute with Belize, which both countries are committed to resolving in a peaceful and respectful manner, whatever the International Court of Justice decides on the matter. The good will between the parties, as demonstrated by Belize and Guatemala, is an example of how a peaceful solution can be reached through international justice, in contrast to war over conflicts resulting from the foolishness of human beings.
Guatemala recognizes that one of the greatest and alarming threats to life and freedom of our time is human trafficking, a contemptible phenomenon that not only violates human rights, but is a veritable crime against humanity that violates the most basic values that we cling to. as a community of nations. This crime is related to slavery, as its practice involves the purchase and sale of human beings, who should live in freedom as a fundamental right of life. That is why my country unequivocally condemns this crime. In that spirt, we have adopted a series of legal and political measures to repress it. We have a public policy against violence, exploitation and trafficking in persons, which aligns with and optimizes State actions to guarantee the protection of and the comprehensive care for victims of human trafficking. It also promotes the prevention, detection, prosecution and punishment of this abhorrent crime.
In the same vein, we have a policy for the comprehensive protection of children and adolescents, which focuses on guaranteeing the comprehensive, equitable and inclusive development of children and adolescents. This policy, which was adopted in 2022. brings together more than 90 executive branch institution programmes for the development of human beings at all stages of life. Guatemala, through these different initiatives, seeks to stand out in the fight against human trafficking, given that the number of people affected by this phenomenon exceeds the number of enslaved persons in times past. That is why we have made it a priority to stop these scourges, which are an affront to human dignity and human beings. I must remind States that the profits generated by human trafficking already exceed those from international arms trafficking and. at this rate, will soon reach and surpass those from illicit drug trafficking. Children are ripped from their homes and given to gangs that prostitute them. and. when they cease to be fresh meat for these criminals, they are dismissed and their organs sold for transplants. We cannot continue to be indifferent and apathetic in the face of these horrifying crimes.
This is my last speech before the General Assembly as Head of State, and. unlike the untruths that we have heard from the rostrum today. I will hand power over to the person elected by the sovereign majority will of the people of Guatemala, on 14 January, in accordance with the Constitution. Unnecessary international interference has marred the elections. While our democracy may not be perfect, it has made the handover of power possible in addition to respect for the Constitution on a continent where some presidents fight to stay and hold on to their positions, allowing re-elections even against what is mandated by their own constitutions. In Guatemala, the principle of handing over power is fully complied with, every four years.
In conclusion, the United Nations is facing history’s greatest challenge, one that requires us to be strong, united and ready for action. World peace, which we took for granted for years, now requires a new international agreement that goes beyond differences, colour, countries and latitudes. We need a people-centred agreement that has citizens as protagonists and people as the ultimate objective. Putting an end to war. which would be ideal, is today’s great imperative. Whatever our beliefs, let us fight for peace. Wherever we are. let us fight for peace lest one day we wake up to find ourselves invaded or killed by others. For that reason, let us unite, let us strive so that one day we can all awake citizens of the world in a climate of peace, progress, prosperity and development.