Chile, 2003

I congratulate Mr. Hunte on his election as

President of this Assembly. As the Foreign Minister of

St. Lucia, a member of the Latin American and

Caribbean community, he can be especially assured of

the full cooperation of the delegation of Chile.

The events of 11 September 2001, the crisis in

Iraq, the conflict in the Middle East and the attack on

the United Nations in Baghdad all pose enormous

challenges for the international community. Tensions

31

have arisen over the way in which we have responded

to some of these crises, but opportunities have also

been created for joint action in new areas. We must

confront these challenges with seriousness of purpose

and a collective approach.

The Secretary-General has expressed his concern

at the differing perceptions of the new and old threats

and the urgent need to develop a programme of

security aimed at building a common destiny. The

United Nations will be what its Member States wish it

to be. The success of the Organization will be the

success of its Members and its failure will be the

responsibility of none other than its Member States.

The United Nations can and must play a central role in

building a common destiny based on universally shared

principles and values. The renewal of the United

Nations is therefore an urgent task that must be

approached from a lofty political and ethical

perspective and not from the bureaucratic standpoint

that has led to stagnation, empty rhetoric and

frustration of the desire for change.

According to our Charter, faith in human rights is

a core value of every society and culture. It is essential

for us vigorously to promote its universality. We note

with concern how the progress made by mankind in

promoting these values is accompanied by reversals

that frustrate the sense of ethics that we wish to impart

to the global community.

The work of the United Nations must continue to

be a guarantee for the promotion and protection of

human rights and for the strengthening of a culture that

guides the conscience of each individual, each people

and each nation. Democracy is consistent with the

purposes and principles of this Organization.

In our region, we have made progress towards the

inculcation of these values. The historic Santiago

Commitment to Democracy of 1991 culminated in the

adoption of the Inter-American Democratic Charter and

has been complemented by the Declaration of Santiago

on Democracy and Public Trust: A New Commitment

to Good Governance for the Americas, which was

adopted at the thirty-third General Assembly of the

Organization of American States, held in Chile in June

this year. In that instrument, we reaffirmed the vital

role of multilateral cooperation in promoting

democratic governance. This effort is an example of

how international cooperation can help to strengthen

the universal value of democracy.

Chile’s commitment to democracy goes beyond

our region. We and other countries are part of the

Community of Democracies, an initiative aimed at

promoting and strengthening this system of coexistence

throughout the world. We hope to work in the United

Nations in pursuit of these objectives.

International peace and security continue to be

key concerns of our Organization. The sacrifice of the

Brazilian and Latin American Sergio Vieira de Mello,

the Special Representative of the Secretary-General in

Baghdad, and of his colleagues reaffirms our

commitment to working on behalf of peace.

The United Nations must play a more substantive

role in the future of Iraq. We must work to ensure the

rapid restoration of sovereignty to the Iraqi people so

that they can freely build their future. Chile stands

ready to continue to work in the Security Council with

an approach that will permit progress to be made

towards the consensus that is needed to improve the

conditions of security and to establish a clear timetable

for political transition in that country.

Security must guarantee people a life free from

threats. Human security thus emerges as a distinctive

feature and a prerequisite for a world without fear. We

share the ideas of the Secretary-General for the

elaboration of a programme of common security that

will permit us to overcome the differences that have

arisen in dealing with the increasing fears of our global

community.

Globalization has created new opportunities for the

peoples of the world, but it has also created imbalances as

a result of unequal access to the advantages that it offers.

The equity perspective must therefore be a key

component of this programme of security.

Development in the globalized world can no longer be

sustained only in terms of technological innovation and

economic growth. Progress must be aimed at ensuring

that technological development is placed at the service

of integration and collective prosperity.

In this spirit, we look forward to broad

participation in the Global Biotechnology Forum, to be

held in the Chilean city of Concepci n in March 2004,

and to an outcome that will help to further strengthen

international cooperation in one of the most dynamic

fields of science and technology.

Our political and economic multilateral institutions

were created in a different historical period. We must now

32

demonstrate our capacity to adapt them to better respond

to the challenges of the twenty-first century. Our main

concern today must be how to overcome our immobility

and embark upon a process of renewal. The method used

thus far has not yielded the desired results. It is therefore

necessary to explore new alternatives.

We warmly welcome the initiative of the

Secretary-General to establish a group of eminent

personalities to elaborate a proposal for submission to

the Organization. It is essential to address the

weaknesses of the General Assembly, the Security

Council and the Economic and Social Council. We

must also reflect on what new functions could be

entrusted to the Trusteeship Council. We must

strengthen the dialogue between these organs and

extend it to other international organizations, including

the Bretton Woods institutions, the World Trade

Organization and regional organizations. In order to go

forward in this process of renewal, we must be able to

utilize the full potential of the Charter, which has not

been fully exploited.

The Security Council has recently gone through a

critical period. We have witnessed the difficulty it has

had in discharging the responsibilities entrusted by the

Charter to this vital organ for the maintenance of

international peace and security. We are in favour of its

revitalization, in order that an appropriate balance can

be achieved between representativity and effectiveness.

Reform must give consideration to the addition of

new members, both permanent and non-permanent, and

include a review of the veto. This process can be

complemented by mechanisms that will allow, within

the framework of the Charter, more active participation

by countries that are not members of the Council.

It is also necessary more effectively to involve the

principal organs in the consideration of issues affecting

international peace and security. This must be done in a

coordinated manner through the effective application of

the Charter, as provided for in Article 15 thereof.

It is necessary, too, more actively to involve

regional organizations and arrangements in efforts to

maintain peace and security by applying Chapter VIII

of the Charter. The region of the Americas has an

institutional structure and various coordination

mechanisms that can be used to contribute to the

fulfilment of the purposes of the United Nations. The

experience of the Organization of American States is

pertinent in this regard.

The General Assembly must undertake a process

of revitalization in order to be able to play its role

effectively as the principal deliberative, normative and

representative organ of the United Nations.

The Assembly has a multiplicity of items on its

agenda and has adopted many resolutions, most of

which remain unimplemented, thereby affecting the

effectiveness and credibility of the system as a whole.

We must have the political will to implement our

decisions. In short, we must strengthen the capacity of

the Assembly to assume political leadership. We must

also promote the establishment of regional agendas that

facilitate agreements and global consensus.

The United Nations must play a key role in the

promotion of equitable development by increasing the

Organization’s capacity to influence the design and

implementation of national and international public

policies in the economic and social spheres.

The process of revitalization of the Economic and

Social Council must be aimed at repositioning that

organ. This will require the streamlining of its agenda,

methods of work and membership, and the

strengthening of its relationship with the Security

Council, as provided for in Article 65 of the Charter,

through its assumption of a role in the prevention and

containment of threats originating in social problems.

We must seek to ensure that the search for

consensus does not prevent this forum from reaching

the necessary substantive agreements required for the

achievement of the purposes and principles of the

United Nations.

Chile, from the southern part of the world, will

continue to shoulder its responsibility to make a

contribution to the international community.

The United Nations is a unique and indispensable

forum for building a world of peace and development

for all. Its core values must inspire efforts for a renewal

that will permit the Organization, in the building of our

common destiny, to rise to the challenges of the

century upon which we have just embarked.