Colombia, 2011

During the past year we have witnessed events and

popular uprisings that are changing the face of the

planet, both politically and economically. As President

of a country that firmly believes in multilateralism, I

come to the General Assembly today to emphasize how

important it is for the United Nations to assume the

fundamental role that belongs to it in the face of such

crises. Crises in and of themselves are neither good nor

bad; their results depend on how we manage them.

They can often become genuine opportunities.

The political transformations we are seeing in

North Africa and in the Middle East, for example, if

they lead to a strengthening of democracy and the rule

of law in the affected countries, can be a factor in

global stability. What the peoples request, what the

peoples seek, is freedom, respect for their rights, the

ability to choose their leaders and democracy. The duty

of the international community is to support them. If

we do not, if we turn our back on them, we may see a

protracted period of civil wars and conflict, which we

should avoid at all cost.

Therefore, we must commit ourselves to

strengthening and applying the methods of peaceful

conflict resolution described in Chapter VI of the

United Nations Charter. The more efficient we are in

the use of preventive diplomacy, the less need there

will be for intervention.

We should advocate effective mediation with

conviction, mediation that does not seek the leading

role but one that is given the time and tools required to

establish trust and to reach solutions that are

advantageous to all parties.

I am pleased to be able to affirm today that

Colombia does not just believe in mediation and

peaceful solutions; we have successfully put them into

practice. My Government succeeded in normalizing

relations with two countries: Venezuela and Ecuador.

We did this on the basis of conciliation and respectful,

direct dialogue.

The former President of Argentina, Mr. Néstor

Kirchner, then Secretary General of the Union of South

American Nations, lent his good offices to the

rapprochement between Venezuela and Colombia. His

management was extremely effective, a great legacy he

left to our region.

In Latin America we have learned that

Governments and States may have differing, even at

times opposing, political concepts, but that this does

not mean they cannot live together and cooperate in

peace. We have also made important contributions to

the search for dialogue, negotiation and mediation in

our region. Honduras is an example of that effort.

Venezuela and Colombia joined forces to support the

Honduran parties in their reconciliation through

dialogue and rebuilding trust. This succeeded in

bringing Honduras back into the Union of South

American Nations.

What I have said so far can also be applied to

long-standing conflicts, such as that between Israel and

Palestine. Advances can be achieved if, and only if,

direct dialogue and effective mediation are employed.

Along with the rest of the international community, we

are concerned by the suspension of peace negotiations,

and we urge — in fact, we implore — both parties to

return to the negotiating table as soon as possible. That

is the only — I repeat, the only — path that leads to

what we all wish to see: two States living in peace and

security.

11-50692 42

On a positive note, we can offer as an example of

appropriate cooperation and negotiation the efforts that

led to the creation of the Republic of South Sudan, the

most recent Member of the United Nations, to which

we give the most effusive welcome.

As a current member of the Security Council,

Colombia has brought to the agenda the situation of

Haiti, a country struck by natural phenomena and

affected by unacceptable poverty. The solution there

must remain a priority for all of us. Peace in Haiti will

be the fruit not just of peacekeeping operations, but of

the empowerment of Haitians themselves in handling

their own problems and solutions, with sufficient

international support for their economic and social

development.

By virtue of its place as the country with the

greatest biodiversity per square kilometre in the world,

which makes it highly vulnerable, Colombia is

committed to measures that mitigate the effects of

climate change and enable us to adapt to them.

We are participating in the preparations for the

upcoming United Nations Conference on Sustainable

Development, Rio+20, which will take place in July

2012, with a proposal we have been developing in

consultation with other countries. We believe that one

of the main results of Rio+20 should be the

establishment of a set of sustainable development goals

based on the agenda that was approved in the first

conference and echoing the Millennium Development

Goals.

The guiding principles were established in Rio in

1992, and an implementation plan was agreed on in

Johannesburg in 2002. Today, 20 years later, we need

to define a set of goals that allow us to measure

achievements, identify shortcomings and determine the

opportunities for advancement. The planet and its

future demand that we work with goals, with specific

indicators of results that ensure the efficacy of our

efforts.

A year ago I said that thanks to advances in

economic and social security, Colombia was at the

threshold of a new dawn. Today I can state with

realism and well-founded optimism that the first rays

of that new dawn are beginning to warm us and light

our way.

My Government is one of national unity, in which

the main political parties have converged around the

fundamental objectives of the nation. This unity has

afforded us a significant measure of governability and

has enabled us to have historic laws and reforms

approved in our Congress that will help us to have a

more prosperous and safer nation, one that is more

equitable and more egalitarian.

Among the initiatives that have been approved, I

wish to point to a law concerning victims and the

return of land that guarantees that the State and society

work to make reparations and to return stolen lands to

hundreds of thousands of farmers affected by the

violence of the past several decades. We are paying a

moral debt to the victims. This is the first time in the

history of the world that this is happening before the

end of an internal armed conflict. We have decided that

justice, truth and reparations must not have to wait.

It is worth pointing out that Secretary-General

Ban-Ki Moon joined us in Bogotá the day that law was

passed. He emphasized the advance it represented and

offered the assistance of the United Nations in ensuring

its proper application.

Also thanks to the governability guaranteed by

our new national unity, we were able to establish a

more equitable distribution of resources originating

from oil and mining to ensure that they reach our

neediest population and regions.

In addition, at this time of global financial and

economic volatility, we have introduced into our

Constitution the element of fiscal sustainability, and

have enacted a law to ensure that the State maintains

discipline in its management of public finances. Such

responsible initiatives have increased investor

confidence, had a positive impact on our country’s risk

rating and will lead to a more stable economic future in

which we believe we will be able to focus on reducing

unemployment and poverty, my Government’s two

main priorities.

Colombia, to a degree unlike any other country in

the world, has had to deal with the global drug

problem. We have had much success, but a great many

challenges remain. We know how terrorists benefit

from drug-trafficking, and there can be no doubt that

drugs and terrorism threaten democracies and the rule

of law. Colombia will continue to combat these

scourges, because for us they represent a national

security problem. We are actively cooperating in the

region, and will continue to do so, to combat

transnational crime. We can only succeed if we

43 11-50692

cooperate and work together in this struggle, which

affects every country equally.

A year ago, from this rostrum (see A/65/PV.15), I

said that we should call the decade that was then just

beginning the decade of Latin America and the

Caribbean. I reaffirm that prediction now. Our region is

an area of political and economic stability that is firmly

determined to move forward with social policy. We

have both the capability and the willingness to provide

the world with solutions in the areas of the

environment, water, energy, food and labour. But our

region cannot grow or progress in isolation. We want to

advance hand in hand with the world, sharing the

principles of respect and tolerance. We welcome

progress in prosperity wherever it occurs in the world.

That is why I would like to conclude by calling

on the nations of the world and on the Organization

that brings us together here to continue to work

together to make use of the peaceful means at our

disposal, with a new goal: to turn the crises we are

experiencing today into opportunities for a better

tomorrow. The future, as has always been the case,

depends on us. With determination and positive

leadership, we can convert these storms into winds

favourable to the whole of humankind.