I am
highly honoured to address the Assembly on behalf of
the Government of the citizen revolution, of the
President of Ecuador, Rafael Correa Delgado, and of
the people of Ecuador at these paradoxical times of
both crisis and hope.
Allow me to convey the fraternal greetings of the
people and the Government of Ecuador to you, Sir —
President of the Assembly and former Minister of
Foreign Affairs of Nicaragua, Father Miguel d’Escoto
Brockmann — on your election to such an important
position. We agree with you on the need to attach the
highest priority to the fight to eradicate poverty and to
pay special attention to relevant issues such as climate
change, the energy and food crises, human rights,
disarmament, the rights of women and children and the
preservation of cultural and biodiversity.
With the end of the cold war, we believed, not
without reason, that the confrontation between two
ways of life and two great Powers would give way to
the solution of the planet’s pressing economic and
social problems. Two decades have elapsed since that
historic date, and we see with concern that that crisis
has deepened, that social cohesion is harder to obtain,
that new threats to security have intensified, and that
the use of force and the number of conflicts have
increased.
My country is convinced that the strengthening of
the multilateral system is an imperative in the world of
today. We have no other option to guarantee peace and
security in the world than to renew our political
decision to progress in the reform of the United
Nations system, and in particular of the Security
Council. This year, we have taken a significant step in
that direction with the General Assembly’s adoption of
decision 62/557, which provides a general framework
to advance these negotiations. Let us hope that we
make progress.
The debate on the need to increase membership
of the Security Council and to democratize the Council
and make its working methods more transparent and
inclusive is undoubtedly one of the fundamental
elements of the reform process. However, at the same
time, we should not forget that another of the central
points required to give back to the United Nations the
role that it should have is to strengthen its democratic
and representative organ par excellence, namely the
General Assembly.
Nor should we forget that any process of reform
will be incomplete if it does not include the
democratization of the organizations that make up the
United Nations system. In the twenty-first century we
cannot continue working with a system in which most
countries cannot access the decision-making bodies
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because of structures that respond to the special
circumstances that prevailed when those bodies were
created. We need to urgently build a multilateral
system that responds promptly and effectively to
today’s challenges and that recognizes the fundamental
principles of international law, such as the sovereign
equality of States. Only with thorough-going reform
can the United Nations regain the lead role that it
should play in international affairs.
We cannot understand that States Members of this
Organization continue supporting peacekeeping
budgets of billions of dollars and yet have serious
concerns about increasing budgets for development
programmes, especially fundamentally important
programmes to fight poverty, HIV/AIDS, malaria and
the effects of climate change. Our citizens are
beginning to call us to account with regard to the
resources that we contribute annually to this
Organization and the results that we obtain. That is
why we consider positive the proposal stressed by the
President of the General Assembly to commence a
truly thorough and democratic reform of this
Organization.
To work for development and the reduction of
poverty and to deal adequately with the needs of
millions of human beings who are struggling today in
misery, disease and despair, is an absolute requirement
in order to guarantee peace and security. Therefore, my
country assigns high priority to economic and social
policies aimed at overcoming unequal distribution of
income and employment, and at guaranteeing the right
of its population to health, education and social
security. These efforts must be accompanied by
decisive and effective support from developed
countries, through a substantial increase in official
development assistance (ODA) — cooperation that
cannot be subject to conditions of any kind and that
must supplement national efforts based on sovereign
development policies.
There is still much to do, however, if we are to
achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
As we have stated in several forums, Ecuador
considers that the MDGs are basic minima for survival
and that we should go beyond them. In our country, we
have left behind an outdated concept based on market
growth indices and are currently working actively and
with impressive results on increasing the quality of life
of the citizens of Ecuador. We call this concept of
“buen vivir” — “living well” — which means living
with dignity and in accordance with our cultural values
and in harmony with nature.
Ecuador and, I am sure, all developing countries
hope that the Doha Conference on Financing for
Development will produce positive results for our
countries, such as access to external financing for
development, relief of the external debt servicing
burden, the reform of international financial
institutions and the effective alignment of official
development assistance with the national strategies and
policies adopted by sovereign countries, together with
the strong commitment of donor countries to allocate at
least 0.7 per cent of their gross domestic product
(GDP) to official development assistance. Middle-
income countries deserve special attention since they
account for more than 41 per cent of the poor of the
planet.
The United Nations should actively promote
South-South cooperation. We believe that the High-
level United Nations Conference on South-South
Cooperation to be convened by the General Assembly
in 2009 is evidence of the role which the Organization
should play in this area. It will constitute an excellent
opportunity to strengthen and enhance this important
cooperation.
Likewise, it is necessary that there be a special
place for economic and social development in the work
of the United Nations. Without a total fulfilment of the
commitments that have been undertaken and without a
true inclusion of our needs based on our own agendas
for development, we cannot talk of international peace
and security.
Ecuador wishes to highlight, at this juncture, the
vital role that the Group of 77 and China and the
Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) have to play on these
and other issues. During the last NAM ministerial
meeting, held in Tehran, Iran, in July, we reiterated our
conviction that this important mechanism of political
agreement is central in ensuring that our countries’
interests are fully taken into account.
Ecuador also assigns importance to the role of the
United Nations in establishing a world order based on
respect for international law, the norms and principles
set out in the Charter, and the promotion of and respect
for human rights international humanitarian Law.
My country supports the actions the United
Nations is taking to address the serious security
37 08-53135
problems we face, such as the fight against terrorism,
the worldwide drug problem and the fight against
transnational organized crime. Accordingly, we
welcomed the recent positive outcome of the first
review of progress in the implementation of the Global
Counter-Terrorism Strategy. My country will continue
to give its support to these important initiatives.
Ecuador also supports negotiations aimed at the
eventual adoption of a legally binding convention on
terrorism. However, we believe that, given the vitally
important implications of the issue, such a convention
should expressly and unequivocally cover the
obligations of all States to fight terrorism in the
framework of international law, human rights,
international humanitarian law and the principles and
norms established in the Charter of the United Nations.
The fight against terrorism cannot be an excuse
for some States to feel released from their obligation to
respect fundamental norms of international law, such as
respect for the sovereignty and the territorial integrity
of other States and non-intervention in their internal
affairs. Likewise, the violation of the human rights of
alleged terrorists — who have been tortured,
incarcerated in clandestine military prisons and
deprived of the basic right to defend themselves —
also constitutes a very serious precedent. These
practices must be condemned by the international
community. Sovereignty, the inviolability of territory,
the non-use of force and non-intervention in the affairs
of other States are the only guarantee for peaceful
coexistence among the peoples of the world.
Ecuador assigns high priority to the actions of the
international community to ensure that States comply
in good faith with their human rights obligations. We
believe that the Human Rights Council, which is
consolidating its position as the best mechanism for the
preservation and protection of human rights, has
substantially improved its working methods. But all
countries must make an effort to set aside their
political objectives to allow the Council to effectively
fulfil the purposes for which it was created.
Ecuador feels that the Universal Periodic Review
system established by the Council is a good step in that
direction. For this reason, my country was glad to be
the second country in the world to submit its review, in
April 2008. On that occasion, we reiterated our
unfailing commitment to respect for and protection of
human rights. We were able to share with the
international community the substantial advances made
in the implementation of our national human rights
plan, and we voluntarily made additional
commitments.
The adoption of the United Nations Declaration
on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples was a milestone.
My country was actively involved in the negotiation of
that important instrument and is now committed to its
implementation and follow-up in order to contribute to
national policies aimed at consolidating the identity,
culture and effective exercise of the political, economic
and cultural rights of the indigenous peoples and
nationalities of Ecuador.
The issue of migration is of singular importance
to my country. The Government of Ecuador is therefore
implementing a comprehensive immigration policy,
contained in the National Human Development Plan
for Migration, that includes programmes, projects and
actions aimed at guaranteeing the protection and a
comprehensive approach to migration issues and of
migrant persons, regardless of their origin or
administrative status within the territory of a State.
The free movement of persons is a right that must
be protected, and I believe that no Government
represented here is opposed to that. However, the
regulation of such movement must be in strict
accordance with the principles of international
humanitarian law and the human rights of migrants. In
the words of the President of my country, Rafael
Correa Delgado, “there are no illegal human beings,
only practices that violate the rights of persons”. In
that respect, we are deeply disturbed by the return
directive issued by the European Union. We believe
that, today more than ever before, our countries must
join together to demand effective compliance with the
obligations arising from international human rights and
on migration agreements. Emigration and return must
both be an expression of freedom.
The new Constitution of Ecuador establishes the
principle of universal citizenship, the free movement of
all peoples on Earth, and a progressive end to the
concept of “foreignness” in order to transform unequal
relations between countries, especially between the
North and the South. We must not forget that migration
is often a direct consequence of economic models
based on exclusion, in which the market, the
accumulation of wealth and selfishness paper over the
true needs of human beings.
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As I said, humanism and solidarity are
fundamental principles that guide the actions of the
Government of Ecuador. That is why my country
adopted a State policy on refugees on 16 September of
this year. That policy is aimed at providing
comprehensive assistance to persons placed under the
protection of Ecuador.
We will honour all our national and international
commitments regarding refuge seekers, but we need
the determined cooperation of the international
community. We must not forget that Ecuador is
currently the country with the largest number of
persons in need of international protection in the entire
western hemisphere. According to studies conducted by
the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner
for Refugees, there are approximately 200,000
Colombian citizens in need of international protection
within the territory of Ecuador. Ecuador is now
implementing a process of extended registration, which
will benefit thousands of Colombian brothers in urgent
need of international protection.
The severity of the world food crisis is an issue
that our countries must address in a comprehensive
manner while taking all of its dimensions into account.
In that respect, Ecuador believes that subsidies and
other trade distortions have a serious impact on the
agricultural sectors of developing countries. For that
reason, Ecuador firmly supports the proposal to hold a
special session on that issue during the sixty-third
session of the General Assembly.
In addition, Ecuador is compelled to highlight the
current financial crisis, which also deserves our
Organization’s particular attention. The crisis is further
proof of the decline of our current economic system,
which prioritizes speculative capital over productive
capital, threatens the common good and endangers the
development prospects of the majority of world. It is
not a country-specific crisis, but a systemic crisis of
capitalism that calls for profound and comprehensive
responses.
Ecuador’s foreign policy reflects its firm
commitment to disarmament and the non-proliferation
of weapons of mass destruction. Ecuador has not only
adhered to international instruments in that field, but
also supports and carries out all the obligations
emanating from those instruments in order to achieve
their effective implementation. We are concerned by
the fact that there are countries that, regrettably, have
not adhered to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of
Nuclear Weapons, while others that have adhered to it
are not meeting their obligations, especially in terms of
disarmament and the destruction of their arsenals. With
regard to that policy issue, Ecuador welcomes the
adoption, in Dublin in July, of the Convention on
Cluster Munitions. My country will sign the
Convention in a ceremony to be held in Oslo on
3 December 2008.
Other issues of great concern to my country
include the fight against transnational organized crime
and its ramifications, the production and illicit traffic
of narcotics, corruption, the manufacturing and illicit
traffic in small arms and light weapons, and human
trafficking. We believe that the United Nations has
taken decisive steps on those issues by adopting
international conventions that allow for cooperation
between our countries in the fight against those
scourges. We believe that adequate and equitable
international cooperation is essential. Such
cooperation, as I said, must respond to the needs of our
countries and be aimed at supporting national policies.
Ecuador is convinced that a strong and effective
multilateral system is the only means for the world to
overcome the problems it faces and, above all, to
guarantee the well-being of peoples and international
peace and security. It is therefore incumbent upon us to
transform the United Nations.
To conclude, I have the pleasure of announcing to
the world that Ecuador has made a new step towards
the strengthening of our democracy. Yesterday, the
Ecuadorian nation approved by an ample majority a
new political Constitution — a new social pact based
on a transformed relationship between the State, the
economy and politics, creating a new model of
development aimed at human welfare and harmony
with nature.