We convey our warmest congratulations to the
renowned Libyan diplomat Mr. Ali Treki on his recent
election to preside over the General Assembly at this
sixty-fourth session, as well as for his call for a
dialogue among civilizations, for interreligious
understanding, for the promotion for peace and
security and for closing the divide between rich and
poor.
Exactly one year ago, when we were taking stock
of progress made towards meeting the Millennium
Development Goals at the midterm point, something
unexpected occurred: the collapse of some of the most
emblematic investment banks, and with that the
worsening of the global financial crisis.
Before this crisis occurred, however, the world, in
particular the developing countries, was already
affected by the impact of two other crises that had
begun simultaneously: the crisis involving oil prices
and that involving food prices.
As a result of the first of these crises, that is, the
oil crisis, vigorous and intense social protest broke out
in various parts of the world. Suddenly, all products
became more expensive. Governments were forced to
use their currency reserves to pay their oil bills and
were forced to allocate subsidies for the sake of
maintaining civic peace and democratic governance.
When it comes to the second crisis, the food
crisis, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the
United Nations established that as a result of the food
crisis, the number of people suffering from hunger
worldwide rose by 150 million, which meant that for
the first time in human history the total figure
exceeded the number of 1 billion human beings.
Before these two crises broke out, the World
Bank had already indicated that in order to meet the
Millennium Development Goals in the remaining seven
years — that is, between 2008 and 2015 —
$250 billion were still needed, or $50 billion every
year. Obviously, with the outbreak of these crises,
which gravely affected the economies of developing
countries, the resources needed to meet the objectives
that had been set to cut by half the level of poverty
worldwide would have to be increased significantly
above the projected figures established by the World
Bank.
As one can see, the situation last year was already
bleak at the time of submitting for analysis and
evaluation the achievements that had been made and
future challenges to meet in order to achieve the
Millennium Development Goals. In spite of the dark
clouds that were gathering on the global economic
horizon, we still felt optimistic; we held the illusion
that we might meet our targets. After all, we had made
continuous progress towards meeting some of the
Goals. But from then on, we witnessed the deluge of
the global financial crisis. Since then, the storm has
been so intense that it has created a widespread state of
anxiety and fear at a global scale the likes of which has
not been seen in many decades.
According to the Director-General of the World
Health Organization, Dr. Margaret Chan, 400,000 more
children and tens of thousands of women will die every
year as a direct consequence of the global financial
crisis. Today, while the meetings of the General
Assembly of the most important global organization
are being held, 25,000 children will die in various parts
of the world. That is the equivalent of saying that a
child will die every three seconds, or 18 children every
minute.
By the time I conclude my statement this
afternoon — my 15 minute statement — worldwide
270 children will have died, whose early deaths could
have been avoided. Throughout the course of this year,
9 million children, which is equivalent to the entire
population of my country, the Dominican Republic,
will have lost their lives for no reason or justification.
This represents a human tragedy of epic proportions, a
true catastrophe. It is morally and politically
unacceptable. For that reason, it is important to call
upon the General Assembly to declare a state of
emergency with regard to compliance with the
Millennium Development Goals.
When facing the challenges to our efforts to meet
the eight goals established in the year 2000 for
improving the human dignity and living conditions of
millions of people worldwide, it is possible to adopt
different attitudes. We might consider that we have
failed and that these goals can never be met; that they
represent a new utopia and therefore the only path
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remaining is to abandon any effort to meet those goals.
Clearly that would be a cowardly and irresponsible
attitude — the worst possible decision. It would mean
leaving all those in need of human solidarity and
compassion out in the cold. A second attitude would be
to reconsider the goals and then extend the timetable to
fulfil them; that would seem logical and reasonable.
However, that reasoning encounters one obstacle — the
fact that children, the poor and the women of the world
cannot wait.
The only real way to ensure fulfilment of the
Millennium Development Goals by the planned 2015
date, is for the General Assembly to work towards
promoting true commitment among nations and
governmental and non-governmental institutions to
urgently assume their task to achieve economic and
social development for all people affected by poverty,
hunger, disease and illiteracy.
It cannot be argued that the resources available to
address this urgent task are insufficient. We have seen
in the diligent manner used to address the collapse of
the international financial system that — as the saying
goes — where there is the will there is a way.
Looking ahead, the first thing to be considered is
that with the forecasted end of the global economic
recession and the resulting gradual recovery of
economic growth, we must ensure that we never again
witness such a sudden and abrupt increase in oil and
food prices as a result of excessive speculation and the
transactions of the futures market. We issue this
warning because we have been observing with concern,
an increase in milk prices over the past three weeks on
the international market that have risen by more than
$1,000 per ton without any valid justification.
We must set aside all individual interests,
resistance and obstacles that stand in the way of the
reform of the global financial system and the stock
markets, in order to establish new mechanisms for
regulation and supervision that will guarantee that no
crisis such as this one will ever occur again.
Because of the lack of compliance to date by the
majority of developed countries with their
commitments made during the Copenhagen World
Summit for Social Development to contribute to the
development of the poorest and most vulnerable
nations and due to the prevailing situation of the global
recession, we draw the attention of the General
Assembly to the possibility of finding new sources of
financing for the Millennium Development Goals.
In that regard, we suggest the creation of a
working group to carry out professional, high-quality
research and submit a report containing
recommendations and a plan of action geared towards
establishing a fine to benefit development on capital
deposited in fiscal havens, offshore banks and
international financial centres. Placing financial
resources in such fiscal havens means that every year
we witness tax evasion in a sum equivalent to
$250 billion — a figure — according to the World
Bank — equal to the total sum of external aid
necessary to meet the Millennium Development Goals.
According to the Organization for Economic
Cooperation and Development (OECD), some
$7 trillion is currently deposited in tax havens which
do not contribute one single cent towards fiscal
income. OXFAM has indicated that more than
$50 billion in fiscal income slips through the fingers of
developing countries each year as a result of offshore
banks and tax havens. The organization Christian Aid
has also affirmed bleakly that tax evasion is
responsible for the deaths of more than 5 million
children between the year 2000 and 2015 — the years
we set to meet the Millennium Development Goals.
There are abundant resources in the world and
what is happening is that they are unfairly and
unequally distributed due, inter alia, to an existing
global financial architecture marked by the lack of
transparency, secrecy, money-laundering, evasion and
fraud. Our only hope of changing the current situation
of economic decline and social deterioration and the
moral crisis that is shaking up the world lies in
adopting brave, wise and timely decisions in this
prestigious global forum.
The peoples of the world are waiting for these
decisions. They are aware that their right to a dignified,
honourable and happy life depends upon that. We
cannot let them down. We must act with justice
courage, a sense of history and with a vision of the
future.
I cannot conclude this statement without touching
upon the current prevailing situation in Honduras. The
United Nations passed a resolution condemning the
coup d’état which took place in this Central American
nation in June of this year and called for the return of
democratic order. The same attitude was adopted by the
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Organization of American States, the European Union,
the African Union and by the League of Arab States.
Despite the entire world’s condemnation of that assault
on democracy, the de facto Government of Honduras
has remained in power, thereby underscoring the
weaknesses of the international community to take
action.
President José Manuel Zelaya — the sole
legitimate President of Honduras, who was scheduled
as the sixth speaker to take the floor in the General
Assembly this afternoon — has, in a great display of
personal courage and daring, preferred to return to his
country. It is now to be hoped that we the
representatives of the peoples gathered here at this
world forum will be able to act with the same dignity,
sense of responsibility and level of commitment when
it comes to the supremacy of democracy, freedom and
justice.