I have the honour to speak on behalf of the Community
of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC),
over which Cuba currently has the honour to preside. I
reiterate our satisfaction at the election of Ambassador
John Ashe of Antigua and Barbuda as President of the
General Assembly at its sixty-eighth session. I also
reiterate our willingness to cooperate with him for the
success of this session. It is an honour for CELAC to
see a representative from one of its member States,
in particular a Caribbean nation, preside over this
preeminent body of the United Nations.
Over the coming weeks, I will also speak to the
Assembly about the heroic struggles of Cuba, its
resistance and triumphs, the immense efforts of its
people, its fidelity to principles, its revolutionary
transformations and the perfection of Cuban socialism.
As the first genuinely Latin American and
Caribbean organization that includes all of the countries
in the region, CELAC was founded with the purpose
of making progress in the political, economic, social
and cultural unity and integration of our America, so
as to reclaim the dream of our liberators of a nation of
republics that, with its almost 600 million inhabitants,
its resources and its enormous human and economic
potential, can decide autonomously its own destiny.
The countries of our region share the conviction
that the political, economic, social and cultural unity
and integration of Latin America and the Caribbean
constitute not only a fundamental aspiration of our
peoples, but also a prerequisite for us to successfully
tackle the challenges we face as a region. However,
everything that has been achieved so far and the path
CELAC has chosen underscore the need for our region
to have a space of its own to consolidate and project
the Latin American and Caribbean identity based on its
shared principles and values and on the ideals of unity
and democracy for our peoples. It should also reaffirm
our commitment to building a more just, equitable and
harmonious international order based on respect for
international law and the principles of the Charter of the
United Nations, and to upholding the sovereignty and
the right of each State to build its own political system,
free from threat, aggression or unilateral coercive
measures and in an environment of peace, stability,
justice, democracy and respect for human rights.
Our Community is based on unrestricted respect
for international law, the peaceful settlement of disputes
and the prohibition of the use and threat of use of force;
on respect for the self-determination, sovereignty and
territorial integrity of States and on non-interference in
their internal affairs; on the protection and promotion
of all human rights, the rule of law, at both the national
and the international levels, and democracy; and on our
aim to work together for collective prosperity so as to
eradicate discrimination, inequality, marginalization,
human rights violations and transgressions of the rule
of law.
We reaffirm our region’s commitment to
international peace and security. We commit to
strengthening the climate of peace that prevails in
Latin America and the Caribbean and to consolidating
a zone of peace that encompasses our region as a
whole, whereby disputes between nations are resolved
peaceably through dialogue and negotiation or other
means, in perfect harmony with international law.
At the recent High-level Meeting on Nuclear
Disarmament (A/68/PV.11), CELAC reiterated its
profound concern at the threat posed to humankind
by the continued existence of nuclear weapons and
their possible use or threat of use, and the urgent need
to make progress towards the priority objective of
nuclear disarmament and achieve the total and absolute
elimination of nuclear weapons. In addition, CELAC
member countries presented for the first time a joint
initiative to the Human Rights Council on the right to
peace, which we hope will lead to a declaration on that
right for adoption by the General Assembly.
CELAC has expressed its support in the strongest
terms for the legitimate rights of Argentina in the
dispute over the sovereignty of the Malvinas Islands.
The continuing position of our region is that the United
Kingdom should agree to reopen negotiations with a
view to finding a peaceful and definitive solution to
that dispute as soon as possible.
Our Community reiterates its support for the
dialogue under way between the Government of
Colombia and the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias
de Colombia, which seeks to end the internal conflict
that has affected the political, social and economic
development of that sister nation for more than 50 years.
We hope that that initiative will succeed in reaching an
agreement in the interests of the Colombian people.
We would also like to underscore the Latin
American and Caribbean character of Puerto Rico
and, by taking note of the resolutions on Puerto Rico
adopted by the Special Political and Decolonization
Committee, to emphasize that that issue is a matter of
interest to CELAC.
We reiterate our absolute condemnation of terrorism
and reaffirm our commitment to fighting it in all its
forms and manifestations, in keeping with the United
Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy. However,
at the same time, we strongly reject the unilateral and
illegitimate assessments, lists and certifications made
by some developed countries that affect countries of
our region, in particular those referring to terrorism,
drug trafficking, human trafficking and other similar
phenomena.
In recent days, as the situation in Syria has
deteriorated, CELAC has reiterated its vocation for
peace and its observance of the principles enshrined in
the Charter of the United Nations and in international
law, including international humanitarian law. It has
urged the creation of the conditions necessary for
moving towards a negotiated political solution to
the Syrian conflict, which has claimed the lives of
thousands of innocent people.
Similarly, CELAC is working to identify
independent concepts and mechanisms for cooperation,
urging the international community to continue to
contribute to the reconstruction and sustainable
development of our sister Republic of Haiti, in
accordance with the fundamental priorities and needs
defined by the Haitian Government and in full respect
for its authority and sovereignty and the principles of
non-interference in the internal affairs of countries.
We have defended the sovereignty of the region,
including that over our own natural resources,
and we have expressed our solidarity with States
members of CELAC in the face of harmful acts that
violate international law, such as that of 2 July, which
threatened the dignity and rights of the President of the
Plurinational State of Bolivia, Mr. Evo Morales Ayma,
as he returned to La Paz from a visit to a number of
European countries.
Taking into account the diverse processes that
have shaped Latin American and Caribbean identity,
the Community has also emphasized its intention to
become a space that protects the rights to live, thrive
and coexist enjoyed by all cultures, races and ethnic
groups of the region, as well as the multicultural nature
of our peoples and the plurinational character of some
of our countries, especially among native communities
that are promoting and recreating their historical
memory, ancestral knowledge and their experience.
Almost seven months after he passed away, CELAC
today pays a well-deserved tribute to one of its founding
members, President Hugo Chávez Frías, who presided
over the founding summit of the Community with his
vision and mastery. Similarly, CELAC expressed its
satisfaction over the election of Pope Francis as the
first High Pontiff of the Catholic Church from the Latin
American and Caribbean region.
The global espionage against CELAC member
countries violates human rights, the right to privacy, the
right of citizens to be informed, and the principles of
State sovereignty and international law. It has become
a source of concern, and we have taken due note of the
statements made in various forums by Heads of States
and Government and other leaders of Latin American
and Caribbean countries who have condemned and
rejected the use of such practices.
The member States of CELAC are proud of their
shared work in consolidating our regional sovereignty so
that the Latin America and Caribbean region can occupy
its rightful place in the world and renounce its status
as the most inequal region on Earth. In pursuing these
objectives, we have decided to offer the most vulnerable
countries of the region our cooperation and solidarity
and to draw attention to the special vulnerabilities
of the countries of the Caribbean Community, given
their status as small island developing States, which
limits their efforts towards sustainable development,
especially in light of the significant impact of natural
disasters and the negative effects of climate change.
With regard to the indispensable reform of the
international system, we have renewed our countries’
commitment to multilateralism, the comprehensive
reform of the United Nations system, and the
democratization of international decision-making
forums, in particular the Security Council. We shall act
accordingly on issues of equal importance, among them
the process of formulating the post-2015 development
agenda, which is the theme of this general debate and
to which all CELAC member countries attach great
importance.
The members of CELAC know that there can be
no lasting peace without development and without
combating poverty, hunger and inequality. We are
aware of the challenges that the current international
economic and financial crisis poses to the future of our
region and our legitimate aspirations to social inclusion,
equitable growth with sustainable development, and
integration. We therefore emphasize the importance
for the post-2015 development agenda to consist of
voluntary, universal, clear and quantifiable goals
that can be adapted to distinct national realities, with
the purpose of eradicating poverty and promoting
sustainable development. This new framework should
be inclusive and transparent on official development
assistance, prompt the developed countries to honour
their commitments, and encourage South-South and
triangular cooperation on cross-cutting issues through
the participation of all sectors of society.
With regard to climate change, we welcome the
formal adoption of the second phase of commitments
under the Kyoto Protocol, despite a lack of political
will on the part of a number of developed nations that
vetoed agreements on new, additional and predictable
resources and on mechanisms for the effective transfer
of technologies to developing countries. We will
continue to work together to cope with this scourge that
affects humankind as a whole today.
There are many difficulties, but the important
thing is that the countries of Latin American and the
Caribbean have come to the conclusion that the time
has come for the region, as José Martí said, to walk in
close ranks, like silver in the roots of the Andes. That is
why we created CELAC.