Chile, 2025

The Assembly will hear an address by His Excellency Gabriel Borch Font, President of the Republic of Chile. I request protocol to escort His Excellency and invite him to address the Assembly. Distinguished President, Members of the United Nations General Assembly, Guests, peoples of the world, residents of New York, Eighty years have elapsed since the creation of the United Nations. Eighty years have also elapsed since Gabriela Maestral, a Chilean woman, who came from the Elqui Valley, won the Nobel Literature Prize. Her voice as a poet, a teacher, as a diplomat, continues to ring out in our homeland and across the world. And it was precisely here, in New York, in 1955, that the Chilean Ambassador, José Massa, conveyed a message about human rights that was written by Gabriela Maestral. That message said, I would be happy if our noble struggle to obtain human rights was taken up faithfully and loyally by all nations of the world. This triumph would be the greatest we could achieve in our time. We have. Have we? Notched up that victory? Have we triumphed in that way? The answer is categorical. No. And the fact is, at this stage, I don't really know what to say about Gaza. Because many people have said everything already at this podium and at others. But there are words and those that may be spoken by anyone. But regardless, we still have the fact that innocent people have lost their lives. We still have the empty stares of those suffering. In 2025, thousands of innocent people have lost their lives simply on the grounds of being Palestinian. Eighty years ago, the same thing happens. Millions lost their lives simply for being Jewish. Instead of talking about figures issuing condemnations or demands, as we tend to within these walls, instead of that, I want to talk about humankind, humanity. Gaza is a global crisis because it is a crisis of humanity. And in this chamber, and for those who are listening to us in their homes, within their delegations, in their various countries, all of us, all of us are human beings. That's what I'd like to say. So when under the rubble, we have children, boys and girls lying under that rubble, there is genuine pain and grief in our homeland in Chile. And I know that that pain is shared by the vast majority of the world's nations. And one of the problems we face as humankind is that often pain engenders hatred. But we must face up to pain. And that fact, and combat hatred with all of our strength. We must transform our desires to hate into a desire for justice. We can't make any concessions to violence. I want to see, I don't want to see, rather, Netanyahu destroyed by a missile side by side with his family. I want to see Netanyahu and those responsible for the genocide against the Palestinian people brought to the ICJ and other international courts. In another context, looking elsewhere, the war in Ukraine is also an affront to us. It causes us pain. But some people might ask themselves, what's that got to do with Chile? What's happening in Ukraine got to do with Chile? They're so far apart, we don't understand their language. People level those arguments against us and our homeland. We say back to them that we have to see ourselves in the people in Palestine that are searching for food. We have to identify and stand in the shoes of the kidnapped children that have been taken away by Russia. We're all human beings. And one of the reasons we come here and meet today together is that we perhaps continue to have faith in humankind. That's principally what brings us here. Our hearts cannot cease to be moved by pain. And we cannot cease to be moved by the needs of others like ourselves. It's for that reason that we have set down rules, rules which are steps forward for civilizations. And they come from the lessons we've learned from the major challenges we've affronted as humankind. And these rules, we should say this loud and clear from this rostrum and take action here. These principles, these values are not being respected. Let's say that loud and clear. It's not okay to invite people to negotiate, to invite a neutral country to negotiate and then assassinate someone that's helping negotiations. That's what happens with Qatar. We can't bomb the nuclear facilities of another country. We can't invade countries like Iraq, saying that there are weapons of mass destruction that don't exist. That's not okay. It's not okay to invade a sovereign country like Ukraine and then impose negotiations on those people. And we all seem to resign ourselves to the fact that that's going on, as was recalled by the French writer Albert Camus when he talked about the experience of the Second World War. If we don't believe in anything, if nothing makes sense and we can't invoke any values, well, in that case, everything is allowed. There's no good, no evil, and nothing is important. So if we were to accept that reasoning, we'd have to admit that reason stands on the side of the successful party and no one else, and the rule which we use to assess humankind, the yardstick, would simply be effectiveness. So, in other words, the law of might is right. I want to say to you that ultimately this way of reasoning is the justification of killing. In a world where that occurs, the life of a woman, a man, or their children will always depend on fate or some whims of good or evil, arbitrary decisions. In a world like that, all of those that live without condemning hatred with all of their might are as guilty of homicide as the person dropping a bomb or pulling a trigger. Particularly, if you have the voice and the power to say enough, as we do, as all the leaders that we are in this room, we have, with that in mind, greater responsibility. We refuse to rule in favor of those who have might or money, and we say that we're labeled as utopian, nursing pipe dreams. But what is history if not a continued utopian voyage? There will be people who simply want to do things that produce short-term results. But in general terms, shortcuts lead us to the edge of precipices, to the abyss. And the fact is we don't need to be successful in the way we understand success today in the Western world to continue fighting for a fairer world. Because we know that what we have together has allowed us to change the world, to make it more just, have more loyalty, more solidarity, more inclusion. We've done that. So, distinguished delegates, when we are invited to submit, to bow down, when it is said that intelligence is somehow irrelevant, when people want to show us that you can lie to get an advantage, to get ahead, we want to say no. We're not giving way to cunning trickery, violence, or passivity. Let us say no to all of that. I can and I must respect the person who likes blue more than red, someone who is of a faith that's not my own, the person who thinks it's better to increase or reduce taxes according to the circumstances. Ultimately, I can and I must respect diversity of opinion. But at the same time as I respect different opinions, the opinions of those who think different to me, I face the outrage, the fact that people lie. And what's all the more outrageous is that they're aware that they're lying. For example, it's been said at this very rostrum today that there's no such thing as global warming. This is not an opinion. It's a lie. And lies must be fought against. Of course, we can discuss the best way of tackling global warming, or we can talk about who are more responsible than others, but we can't deny global warming. We can argue, we can discuss how the Nazis managed to govern such vast waves of Europe, but we can't deny the Holocaust. We can study the secondary effects of a vaccine, but we cannot state with no evidence whatsoever that vaccines cause autism. The world needs a true, genuine dialogue, dialogue between those of us who think differently, between people who have different visions of the world. It's for that reason that we created the United Nations, for that precise reason, to have dialogue and to decide that brutality is not acceptable, to decide that human rights must be protected regardless of ideologies, or who's the victim or who's the torturer. International law is the guarantee that reason will prevail over might always. Opposed against this dialogue, the other direction is lies and silence, and both will bring us to the edge of an abyss, into deepest suffering. So, what is the task before us today? We have to chart the course that we want as humankind and work with the United Nations who are paving this path. Chile is rallying behind this shared vision, this shared respect for democracy, human rights, social justice, equity, unfettered respect for the freedom of expression, climate action, all of these things that stand as pillars of hope and action to address the difficult changes and weather these current storms. Today, we need to say loud and clear that we defend a commitment to democracy always, in an un-nuanced fashion, with no excuses whatsoever. For that reason, this week, together with Brazil, Spain, Uruguay and Colombia, we convened the second meeting for the defence of democracy. That was a collective effort that began here in the United Nations a year ago. We want to build bridges so that we can identify the shortcomings of democracy. We want to look at ways of remedying these shortcomings and of improving the quality of life of our peoples. We will not settle with simply pointing out what we don't like about the world. We will not settle for saying, that doesn't represent us. We want to propose ideas that we want to see and champion them. With all of that in mind, I'd like to briefly dwell on one particular issue. I come from Chile, that is a tri-continental country. It has inextricable ties to the ocean. We have more than 6,700 kilometers of coastline. We are a country that looks at the ocean. As such, we are proud of having been the first country in America and the second in the world to have ratified the BB&J agreement to extend governed ocean areas beyond areas of national jurisdiction. In recent weeks, we saw the 60th ratification necessary for it to enter into force. As such, the first carp of that agreement will be held next year. We do hope it will be held early next year. Here, I wish to reiterate the fact that we are ready and willing to have its secretariat established in our Pearl of the Pacific, in the city of Valparaíso, because we believe that this agreement is an opportunity to make ocean governance closer to the global south. Chile is also a country that looks towards and has an Antarctic vocation. Our leadership in scientific research is clear. We provide logistical support for research, and we have campaigns for the protection of this area. When you have gone to Antarctica, you will have done so through Chile. In two weeks, we will have another meeting of the Commission for the Preservation of Marine Antarctic Resources. So, I call upon states parties to now approve the proposal of the marine protected area for Dominion 1. That was the proposal established by Chile and Argentina. We cannot simply exploit resources if we do not adopt appropriate preservation measures, because ultimately we will see the destruction of marine life, which we also depend on. Let us not forget that we are part of one single ecosystem. Maintaining biodiversity and sustaining life on Earth is something we must urgently grapple with, and we need to do so with a sense of responsibility towards our ancestors, towards those we share the planet with today, and with a sense of responsibility to future generations, distinguished delegates. As we have a situation of climate crisis, protracted conflicts and humanitarian crisis, against that backdrop, the selection and appointment process for the next Secretary-General of the United Nations takes on particular significance. I come to this Assembly convinced of the fact that always, even in the most difficult circumstances, there is room to take clear-sighted action as a collective body, action which is transformative and imbued with humanity. Human tragedy is never a foregone conclusion. We will not give up on the hope that there will be good in the world and that the United Nations we need can be built, because that conclusion depends on what we do. I want to say to you that regional balance must be respected in the Secretary-General appointment process. It is time for Latin America and the Caribbean to have their moment. We are a war-free region with a rich diplomatic tradition. We forge consensus. We are unwaveringly committed to the UN Charter and have been since its very inception. Tackling the historic gender imbalance within the United Nations is important. We have never had a woman Secretary-General, and that is something we must remedy. Eighty years of history without a woman having been appointed Secretary-General. The UN must reflect the progress made by the world and recognize that a woman at the helm is not just a symbol of equity, but also represents and reflects the fact that women are half of the population. Appointing a woman as Secretary-General will send out the clear signal that women can occupy all parts of the world and nothing is closed off to them. Chile wants to actively contribute to that collective effort. For that reason, it is for me a great honor to announce from this rostrum that Chile will nominate our former President Michelle Bachelet-Gerier as candidate to the post of Secretary-General of the United Nations. She is here with us at this session. Michelle Bachelet is not only someone known to all of you on the global stage, she is a woman whose own trajectory is fully in line with the values that inspired this organization. She was head of state of Chile twice. Incidentally, she was also the first female head of state. She was also the Minister for Health and Defense. She was the Executive Director of UN Women, and also High Commissioner for Human Rights at the United Nations. Michelle Bachelet has governed, negotiated, solved problems, and listened. Her trajectory, what she has done throughout her life, combines empathy with strength and resolve, experience with openness, and she combines all of these with a proven ability to make decisions and to take action. In times of mistrust and fragmentation, I firmly believe, and I know that this conviction is shared by my nation, that Michelle Bachelet is someone able to build bridges. Build bridges between the North and the South, between the East and the West, between urgent needs to find solutions and the urgent need to defend principles. With her leadership, the United Nations will be able to restore credibility, effectiveness, and a sense of purpose in the face of current challenges. She will build on the legacy of Antonio Guterres, that I can say has given the best of himself from the good of humankind within this institution. With humility and a sense of conviction, Chile presents this candidacy with the conviction, the certainty that Michelle Bachelet will be able to make a decisive contribution to making the United Nations once more a place for meetings, a place for solutions and active hope for the world as a whole. Distinguished Delegates, 80 years, let us look back at those decades and let us take stock of the strides forward seen in international governance. In spite of the challenges we are facing, we can also say that we have made progress. But we are eaten away at by the feeling that that progress is under threat. Who will draw the maps of the future? We want to believe that those cartographers will not be those waging assaults on multilateral institutions and eroding their credibility. We don't want them to be those who humiliate the weak. We want all peoples together to draw the maps of the future. Together we represent all of those people and together we will trace out clear maps so that we have not only a possible and viable future, but one that is full of dignity for everyone and respects them. And to achieve that goal, this organisation, let us remember the organisation that was built on the ashes of the Second World War after the failure of the League of Nations, this organisation is crucial. And renewing it, changing it, reforming it is an urgent need. So, as a renewed organisation, but one with the same purpose, it will be an organisation that everyone works together in. The words of Victor Jara, that great Chilean singer, great Chilean artist, he talked about this great love of earth which has helped us to live. He loved peace, to enjoy life, love and freedom for everybody. He talked about those things so that his children could exist, his city could exist and his people could exist. Let us, distinguished colleagues, move together, free and equal, similar and different. Let us walk along this shared path of seeking truth, justice, happiness and justice. I thank you.