We are still living through a pandemic that is affecting humankind, especially developing countries. These are times that test the strength, faith and solidarity of humankind as a whole as we are confronted with major challenges. On behalf of the President of Nicaragua, Commander-in-Chief Daniel Ortega Saavedra, and his Vice President, Rosario Murillo, we would like to convey solidarity and condolences to the families across the world that have borne the serious consequences of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and lost loved ones. The global health crisis continues to undermine our efforts to overcome existing issues and challenges such as poverty, hunger, malnutrition, inequality, unemployment and climate change — all caused by an irrational and oppressive system of capitalist exploitation. The developed countries’ hoarding of COVID-19 vaccines is unacceptable, as it prevents their fair and equitable distribution for all, including developing countries. It is essential and fair that we ensure the transfer of technology and financial resources and declare the vaccines a common good for all humankind. We must maintain our fighting spirit to enable humankind to address and overcome the pandemic with solidarity, unconditional cooperation and robust multilateralism, by ensuring access for all to vaccines and thereby preventing their unequal and politicized distribution. The pandemic has affected every country on Mother Earth and demonstrated the need for a new international economic model based on inclusion, equity, social justice and respectful equality among States and Governments, while prioritizing poverty eradication and health as universal rights and emphasizing that resources earmarked for war, aggression and the destabilization of countries should be used in a humanistic spirit for life, peace, security and the progress of all peoples. We must stand together against all the challenges and disasters affecting humankind. We must not forget the refugee crisis or the pain and suffering of migrants. It is clear that the wars and interventions waged and promoted by the Western Powers violate the sovereignty of our peoples and condemn to exile millions of children, women and vulnerable groups suffering from the adverse impact of the greed and avarice of the most powerful. It forces them to seek refuge in Western countries that violate their human rights and protection with discriminatory policies that lead to cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment. At the same time, safe, regular and orderly migration is impeded by a lack of determination and will in Western countries. Millions from developing countries who are victims of the unjust neoliberal model migrate with the dream of finding better opportunities in developed countries, where they are then rejected and their dignity and human rights violated. Recently, on 15 September, we commemorated the 200th anniversary of Nicaragua’s independence as well as the independence of Central American peoples. That is two centuries of fighting for the sovereignty, self- determination and independence of Nicaragua. Those are the victories for which we continue our struggle, with conviction, perseverance and dignity. But while Nicaragua is a free and independent sovereign State, there are imperialist forces that threaten our development projects and undermine our efforts to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals, in particular the goal of eradicating poverty, the cruellest pandemic in the world. We are in urgent need of a United Nations that stands for peace, justice, security and comprehensive responses that benefit all humankind, while honouring the commitments of States outlined in the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations. Only through a responsible global alliance in which the most powerful respect international law and the Charter of the United Nations will it be possible to counter the impact of other pandemics, imposed by some Powers, which are a threat to peace, international security, independence and the sovereignty of States and self- determination of peoples. We still urgently need reform of the United Nations, as proposed by the Nicaraguan priest and former Minister for Foreign Affairs of Nicaragua Miguel d’Escoto Brockmann during his presidency of the General Assembly in 2008. We reiterate our support for the Common African Position, outlined in the Ezulwini Consensus and the Sirte Declaration, on the process for reforming the United Nations, including the Security Council. Nicaragua will continue to support multilateralism while building relations based on respect, sovereign equality, solidarity and mutual cooperation, and to respect and honour the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter, which include non-interference in the internal affairs of States and respect for international law. As a peaceful nation, Nicaragua also advocates general and complete disarmament. We support the total elimination of nuclear weapons for the benefit of all humankind. It is unacceptable that in the midst of a pandemic, nations continue to modernize weapons of mass destruction, posing a threat to all humankind. It is part and parcel of the callous creation of unbridled capitalism in its insatiable appetite for accumulation to the detriment of peace, international security and human life. It is the hope of our planet’s inhabitants that nuclear weapons will disappear completely because they are a threat to all humankind, including the peoples of the very countries that manufacture and possess them. Nicaragua is a party to the Treaty of Tlatelolco, according to which we promised a number of years ago to forbid any country in Latin America and the Caribbean to manufacture nuclear weapons. We welcomed the recent entry into force of the historic Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, which bans for the first time the very existence, use or threat of use of nuclear weapons. Nicaragua has ratified the Treaty. Turning to Afghanistan, we underscore that peace must prevail. The United States and the countries of Europe must take reasonable and responsible action, while calling for an end to its war culture and practices. The lessons of Afghanistan are clear — interventions and unilateral coercive sanctions do not work. They are failed policies. The great Powers must take the road of peace and respect for international law in order to build relations with the peoples of the world, especially in developing countries. Nicaragua will continue to promote a culture of peace and peaceful coexistence among the sister nations that make up the United Nations. We will work to achieve stability, peace and regional security in Central America. The States Members of the United Nations should continue making every effort to ensure that the Western Powers cease and desist in their belligerent policies and actions, including the threat or use of force, which leads to greater instability and insecurity worldwide. We emphasize the importance of the quest for the understanding and peaceful coexistence among nations that we all desire. We must continue promoting a culture of peace, while acknowledging the importance of the peaceful settlement of international disputes by means afforded by international law. That is why we uphold the principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity, independence and the right to self-determination of our peoples. We need to see illegal unilateral and coercive measures cease immediately if we are to guarantee stability, peace and the development of families, peoples and nations. The aggressive and coercive policies of imperialist Powers create overwhelming obstacles to poverty eradication and progress towards sustainable development. Amid a pandemic, such measures become a crime against humanity committed by those who impose them. For Nicaragua, they are unacceptable. We reject them and reiterate our condemnation and our solidarity with the more than 2 billion people suffering under such sanctions. Nicaragua stands in solidarity with our brother peoples of the world in reaffirming our rejection of the inhuman, illegal, immoral and unfair economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed by the United States on the people and the Government of Cuba. Cubans are an extraordinary people, liberated after a monumental battle that lasted more than 60 years. They have resisted invasions, acts of terrorism, economic sanctions, embargoes and all the tools of imperialism and its destabilizing actions. We also reiterate our unwavering solidarity with our sister nation of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, the Bolivarian people and the constitutional and legitimate Government of President Nicolas Maduro Moros. As our peoples work, resist, respond to and recover from the pandemic, we should not forget the challenges posed by the threat of climate change and its devastating impact, especially on developing countries. It will remain a challenge even after we overcome the COVID-19 pandemic and our economies recover. To preserve and uphold the right to life on Mother Earth, it will be crucial to achieve concrete results at the twenty-sixth Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, to be held in Glasgow. It is based on the principle of shared but differentiated responsibilities, which bolsters accountability and underscores the importance of honouring the commitments made for climate justice and the vital policy of providing reparations through direct and unconditional cooperation. If we allow time to pass without the developed countries honouring their commitments, the damage to Mother Earth caused by global warming will be irreversible. They will be historically responsible for that disaster. It is essential that the largest polluters responsible for our environmental degradation acknowledge the losses and the damage done by helping to restore our ecosystems. It has been shown that Central America and the Caribbean is a region that is highly vulnerable to the impact of climate change. In addition to other climate phenomena, weather events are increasingly frequent and intense. In November last year, in just two weeks, Nicaragua was hit by two devastating category 5 and 4 hurricanes that affected indigenous and Afro- descendant communities living on the Caribbean coast. They did considerable damage to infrastructure, production and our economy. Nicaragua joined the Paris Agreement on Climate Change in 2017 in a commitment to strengthening the interests of the most vulnerable countries and aligning its Government policies, strategies and instruments with it, with a view to helping to meet the goal of limiting the global temperature rise to 1.5°C. The largest polluters must shoulder that historic responsibility. We would like to express Nicaragua’s full solidarity and support to the cause and aspirations to self-determination, peace and justice of the historical Palestinian people. Nicaragua will not cease its call and support for a two-State solution, in line with the 1967 borders, in which both a State of Israel and a State of Palestine, with East Jerusalem as its capital, are on an equal footing and can coexist while fully meeting their aspirations in peace, security, cooperation and harmony. We also reiterate our brotherly solidarity with the Government and the people of Syria as they defend their sovereignty and territorial integrity and struggle against foreign aggression and international terrorism. All acts of aggression against the people and the Government of Syria must end. We reiterate our unwavering will to continue supporting the just fight of the Sahrawi people for self-determination and respecting their dignity and right to exist as a sovereign nation, the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic. Nicaragua supports the full decolonization of our continent, including for the people of Puerto Rico, and the restoration of the sovereignty of the Republic of Argentina over the Malvinas islands. Our people and our Government support an end to all sanctions on our sister Republic of Iran and urge for the full implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, signed on 14 July 2015, which is a clear demonstration that dialogue and diplomacy are the best ways to achieve a peaceful settlement and are essential to the proper functioning of multilateralism. In the light of the pandemic, for humanitarian reasons, it is absolutely vital to implement the principle of universality so that Taiwan can participate in the mechanisms and relevant meetings of the United Nations system. We condemn the North American aggressive hegemonic policies that undermine the peaceful settlement of conflicts and that represent threats to the Russian Federation, the People’s Republic of China and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, as well as political, economic, commercial and military actions against them. We must uphold the principles of dialogue and negotiation and of refraining from the use of force or the threat of its use as basic principles enshrined in the Charter. We support the Russian Federation in its efforts to promote peace, understanding and stability throughout the world. Where Belarus is concerned, it is important to respect the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of States, in line with international law. We reject foreign intervention of any kind, as well as external pressure on Belarus’s Government and people. The Government of Reconciliation and National Unity remains firmly committed to preserving peace, stability and security in Nicaragua and making every effort to develop policies to guarantee prosperity for all Nicaraguans, without exception or distinction. In the international arena, that aspiration is reflected in our efforts to continue building relations based on respect, equality, solidarity and mutual cooperation, in keeping with the multilateral and multipolar spirit of the Charter. The Government of Nicaragua, with the participation of the Nicaraguan people, has developed economic and social policies for women and young people, indigenous peoples, Afro-descendants, farmers, senior citizens and persons with disabilities as an expression of developments in Nicaragua. We reiterate that Nicaragua remains an important factor in ensuring regional and international stability and peace and security, with positive indicators in the areas of economic, political and social development, gender equality, citizens’ security and poverty eradication, all of which is imperative if we wish to forge a culture of peace and human development. In our blessed Nicaragua, the motherland of General Sandino and the poet Ruben Dario, we declare to the international community that we respect all peoples, all Governments and all countries of the world. We respect international law, the United Nations Charter and the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of States, and we demand equal respect for our Nicaragua as a free, independent and sovereign State that enjoys self-determination. With that constitutional, sovereign and patriotic spirit in mind, on the first Sunday in November this year the Nicaraguan people will elect their authorities, with the participation, based on gender parity, of 15 political parties, nationally and regionally. They include, in Box 1, the Constitutionalist Liberal Party; in Box 2, the Sandinista National Liberation Front that heads the Sandinista National Liberation Front Alliance, the Nicaraguan Resistance Party, the Christian Unity Movement, Alternative for Change, the Nationalist Liberal Party, the Yapti Tasba Masraka Raya Nani Movement, the Multi-Ethnic Indigenous Party, the Autonomous Liberal Party and Moskitia Pawanka. Box 3 features the Nicaraguan Party of the Christian Path. Box 8 features Yapti Tasba Masraka Nanih Asia Takanka. Box 9 includes the Nicaraguan Liberal Alliance and Box 10, the Alliance for the Republic. Box 13 features the Independent Liberal Party. There is no vote for the North American imperialist Power in Nicaragua. The Nicaraguan people are voting to reaffirm their commitment to continuing to work for peace, security and the tranquillity of people, family and communities. We are true to our principles and values — patriotism, solidarity, service, unity and gender equality. We are ready to continue reaping victory out of our love for Nicaragua, while promoting international peace and security on our path towards a better, more just and human world.