Mr. President, let me first convey on my own behalf
and on behalf of the Republic of Paraguay our wishes
for every success in your sensitive and important
function at the helm of the General Assembly at its
sixty-fifth session. I would also like to express my
delegation’s recognition of Mr. Ali Abdussalam Treki,
President of the Assembly at the sixty-fourth session,
for the significant achievements made.
Paraguayan democracy has completed its
transition, begun 21 years ago, with the transfer of
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power from one political force to another in recent
elections held under international observation. In that
way we have consolidated a process of strengthening
public freedoms, thereby affirming that those freedoms
are fully guaranteed in my country today.
Paraguay comes to this general debate
reaffirming its importance and calling for progress in
strengthening the United Nations as the body capable
of representing the interests of all Member States in the
urgent quest for a fairer, more united and equitable
world, guaranteed by the full force of international law.
We are very pleased that some great Powers have
returned to the path of multilateralism, for some of the
problems that afflict mankind can be resolved only
with the involvement of every State. It has been
demonstrated again that in the search for a better
civilization, the solution has not, cannot and will never
be found by a handful of nations. Thus the recent
financial crisis can be resolved satisfactorily only
through measures that are universal and taken with the
agreement of the great majority. Once again, it is the
General Assembly that will have to make its guiding
voice heard on this issue.
We also applaud the Secretary-General’s timely
decision to hold the High-level Meeting for review of
the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The
Republic of Paraguay believes that while achievements
have been made with regard to the MDGs, we cannot
avoid the fact that there are still inequalities all over
the world and millions continue to live in abject
poverty. The situation has been exacerbated by sudden
increases in food prices and the consequences of
climate change.
In Paraguay we are betting on the globalization of
democracy with social development. We are betting on
the universalization of security based on respect for
human rights as an unwavering commitment and on
dignifying human life. In that spirit we celebrate the
recent designation of a Paraguayan citizen as a member
of the Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of
Discrimination against Women. We appreciate the
support she received, which further strengthens our
commitment to ensuring the inclusion of women in all
areas of public life.
We would thus like to create a regional
community in the context of a global union that in
solidarity and together devotes its efforts to eradicating
hunger and abject poverty, cooperating effectively to
promote the participation of all in building sustainable
prosperity through quality education and the provision
of a social protection system that excludes no one.
The Republic of Paraguay reiterates its
commitment to prioritize the implementation of
programmes for economic development with social
justice. The national Government is approaching with
dedication the development and implementation of
social policies to address needs in this area, with
special emphasis on the most vulnerable and most
needy of our population. That effort at the national
level also requires international solidarity, enhanced
through the processes of regional and sovereign
integration of the people, as well as through a new
international financial architecture whose institutions
contribute to job creation and to fairer, more equitable
trade conditions among the world’s nations.
We note with great concern that many citizens of
our countries have had to migrate to other parts of the
world, particularly Europe and North America, in
search of new opportunities for happiness and personal
fulfilment. We take this occasion to show our solidarity
with the peoples who at this moment are suffering from
the consequences of mistaken discriminatory and
violent immigration policies, particularly as applied by
countries of the so-called first world.
Migration policy is not a domestic issue but
rather a question that must respect international human
rights norms and standards. Therefore we call on all
countries that receive migrants to deal in a spirit of
humanitarianism, fraternity and hospitality with all our
fellow citizens who today seek to share in the right to
work and to a life of dignity far from their respective
countries. We propose a deepening of dialogue on the
issue in international forums to highlight the human
dimension of migration processes and find a just and
equitable solution to that reality of globalization.
Full employment and decent work are universal
goals, and to reach them requires focusing national
efforts and improving international cooperation to
address macroeconomic and trade issues involved in
the solution to that problem. Bilateral and multilateral
institutions for development assistance should insist on
employment taking a place of prominence in their
policy decisions and implementation.
Disarmament, non-proliferation and arms control
are not only essential factors to ensure international
peace and security, but they also guarantee sustainable
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economic and social development for the most
vulnerable countries. Only through a sound multilateral
system with strict adherence to international law and
respect for the sovereignty and self-determination of
peoples can we guarantee our mutual security.
In that vein, we condemn coercive economic
measures that prevent countries from exercising their
sovereign right to choose their own political, economic
and social systems. We reject the unilateral application
of measures against the Republic of Cuba, and we
reiterate our support for the General Assembly
resolutions to put an end to the economic, commercial
and financial blockade against that nation. The
blockade against Cuba undermines the fundamental
norms of international law, the principles of sovereign
equality among States, non-intervention,
non-interference in domestic affairs, freedom of trade
and international navigation and the self-determination
of peoples, as enshrined in instruments of international
law.
We also demand that the Government of the
United States adopt necessary measures to put an end
to the irregular situation of five Cuban citizens who are
currently deprived of their liberty as they sit in United
States jails and who have denounced the violation of
their human rights.
The Republic of Paraguay reiterates its
commitment to international peace and security. In that
context we reaffirm our political will to increase our
contribution to peacekeeping missions and to continue
our efforts to train and equip forces in accordance with
the standards of this Organization, so as to
progressively increase our participation in those
operations.
My country is aware of the serious and complex
threats of climate change around the world. We have
watched with concern the growing negative effects of
irregular climate phenomena that produce drastic
consequences that contribute to increased poverty and
displacement of persons, among other irreparable
effects that must be urgently and uncompromisingly
addressed. We subscribe to the Declaration of the
Cochabamba summit on climate change and call for an
urgent, coordinated and responsible global response to
find ways to mitigate, lessen and reverse the tragic,
devastating consequences of climate change. Likewise,
we proclaim the sovereign rights of peoples over their
natural resources, interpreted in the broadest sense.
A new international financial architecture is
needed, one that seeks a system of fair trade and
efficient regulation mechanisms. We also need new
paradigms for integration that attack the root causes of
obstacles to integration, such as inequitable exchange
rates and the unequal conditions of international
relations, the weight of unpayable debt and the
imposition of structural changes that undermine the
bases of social and political assistance. We are
convinced that the United Nations, as a global
institution, should play a central role to guarantee the
success of our efforts to achieve better international
coordination and coherence in the economic and
financial spheres.
The issue of landlocked developing countries is
fundamental to Paraguay’s foreign policy. The
asymmetries and disadvantages created by and still
being created by that geographical situation can be
offset only to the extent that they are internationally
recognized and that there be special, individualized
treatment for such countries on the part of developed
economies on their integration into the globalized
world.
It is essential that the United Nations implement
the needed reforms with the goal of adapting its
structure to the current needs of global society. With
that desire for evolution, the Republic of Paraguay
supports the process of reform of the Organization so
as to strengthen the General Assembly and recover the
functions conferred on it by the Charter, as the most
representative organ of the Organization.
Paraguay has also been watching with great
interest the recent rounds of intergovernmental
negotiations about equitable representation on and
increasing the membership of the Security Council and
other related issues. We advocate full adherence to
multilateralism, the sovereign equality of States and
inviolable respect for the rule of law. Accordingly, we
need a Security Council that is more democratic, and
thus its expansion cannot be put off in order to make it
more equitable and inclusive.
As a contribution from Paraguay to promoting
respect and fraternity — values that strengthen any
organization made up of individuals and nations — we
have proposed to share with the world our tradition of
celebrating friendship. To that end, Paraguay has
presented to the United Nations a proposal to proclaim
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30 July as World Friendship Day, in order to renew
appreciation and recognition among our peoples.
Sixty-five years ago we said, “We the peoples of
the United Nations”, and Paraguay was among them.
Hence we reaffirm each and every precept enshrined in
the remarkable Preamble to our Charter. We will be at
the side of all, because we believe in the equality of
nations large and small, which will allow us
progressively to improve the conditions under which
justice can be maintained and thereby better the
standards of life in larger freedom. That is our
mandate. We are committed to fulfil it.