Honduras, 2000

It is an honour for me to address the General

Assembly, which will complement the recent

Millennium Summit by providing a fundamental

contribution to the current stage of transition towards a

United Nations in tune with reality.

International peace and security, along with

cooperation and solidarity for sustainable human

development, must become the fundamental

instruments of our new Organization in the new

millennium. Peace and security require a renewed

commitment to international law, full respect for and

faithful, prompt compliance with the decisions of the

International Court of Justice, national compliance

with the standards imposed by treaties and good faith

in the application of laws, uncompromised by domestic

political agendas.

Honduras, a founding Member of the United

Nations, considers that the decisions of the

International Court of Justice are a solid basis for the

resolution of international conflicts and that they

represent the fundamental norms for coexistence

among States, with the support of the Security Council

as the guarantor of their implementation.

Peace and security among nations require the

delimitation of land and maritime areas, in keeping

with the rules of international law. They require respect

for historical rights and the non-use of force. Only with

defined boundaries can we determine clearly what

contribution everyone can make to our common causes

and promote the development of borders of solidarity

on the basis of a culture of peace.

The 1,000 years that now lie behind us produced

extraordinary advances in the history of humanity. But

they also left us tasks to be completed relating to

problems such as racism, xenophobia, an arsenal of

weapons of various magnitudes and the effects of a

culture of violence and destruction. This is why we

firmly support the consolidation of the peace process in

the Middle East. We welcome the constructive dialogue

launched by the two Koreas in an effort to normalize

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their relations, as we welcome peaceful solutions for

any divided society.

As regards globalization, we must tackle not only

the economic aspect, but also social well-being.

Education is a passport to the future, but only if the

education provided is the same for all, and not just for

a minority, and only if education is life-affirming and

promotes change so as to teach all human beings on the

earth to live together.

For this purpose, as the United Nations

Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization has

pointed out, we must learn to know, we must learn to

do, we must learn to be. In this area, we believe that

the Economic and Social Council of our Organization

must promote and pursue its initiative for greater

dissemination of technological information, as

proposed by its members during the high-level segment

this year. It must try to prevent disparities in

technological development that benefit only

industrialized countries.

Millions of human beings are noting with

amazement that there exist realities very different from

their own harsh conditions. When they try to travel to

that fantastic world, to that dream of hope, they find

out that borders do exist and that they are free only to

continue dreaming.

Globalization is a coin with two faces. On the one

hand, it creates wealth, benefits, possibilities, but on

the other, poverty, problems, inequity and even new

forms of exclusion. Instead, globalization should create

for the benefit of all a world without any exclusions.

Our responsibility is to bring about the globalization of

the development of the human being.

Honduras is participating in the Central American

integration process. We see this as a way of having a

greater presence and being more active in this

globalized world. This is why we actively support the

strengthening of the institutional process of Central

American integration.

Despite the advances that occurred in the past

millennium, the terms of trade continue to work against

the development of many of our countries. The

increase in oil prices has a devastating effect on the

weakest economies, and, paradoxically, the more we

increase production, the more we open our doors to

international trade and eliminate barriers, the more

obstacles we encounter to gaining access to

international markets. This creates a crisis for our

export capacity. Trade globalization must produce

benefits in both directions.

In addition to the asymmetries and disparities to

which I have referred, there are also threats of different

types that no State, however powerful or strong, can

successfully confront in isolation. The report of the

Secretary-General to the Millennium Summit attached

as much importance to the topic of the environment as

it did to peace and development. This demonstrates that

in the year 2000 we recognize that, in addition to

achieving peace and economic development, we must

take care of our environment. If we do not, the future

of humanity will continue to be threatened. Every day

we are increasingly threatened by the lack of drinking

water, desertification, the destruction of the ozone

layer and climate change. These processes have

produced an increase in natural disasters. Honduras,

my country, was the victim of a disaster of catastrophic

proportions. This is why we attach such priority to

caring for the environment and to education on how to

promote and preserve it.

The need to control the production of greenhouse

gases, the widening of the hole in the ozone layer, the

drop in oxygen production, the pollution of fresh and

salt water, the extinction of thousands of species all

these form part of that greater concern that we must

confront jointly.

Similarly, terrorism, organized crime and drug

trafficking can be combated effectively only if we act

jointly and in coordination. If we do not, we will be

jointly responsible as accomplices in the destruction of

the hopes of the future youth and children.

Our Organization should make a greater effort to

overcome the disparity between abundance and want,

of which very concrete examples abound. For instance,

today hundreds of thousands of medicines are

produced, but the millions of human beings affected by

HIV/AIDS need access to these medicines if their pain

is to be relieved. It is truly horrifying that the world

produces thousands of metric tons more food than is

needed to feed its population, and yet people are dying

of hunger and malnutrition. The poverty and hunger of

millions of human beings is an insult to humanity and

an affront to the dignity of individuals. Here there is

room for improved coordination.

Our Organization continues its important efforts

to prevent world conflicts. There have been many

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achievements in implementing machinery for world

order and peace, including peacekeeping activities and

the work of the international tribunals. We have also

seen progress in disarmament, particularly in terms of

weapons of mass destruction. Aware of its international

responsibilities, Honduras, to the extent that its

resources permit, has also contributed to international

peace and security, participating in the missions in

Haiti and Western Sahara.

The United Nations Development Programme

(UNDP) has also acted as a partner in the development

process in many countries around the world. It has

worked with national Governments, with society and

local communities. UNDP is a trustworthy, active

partner in the elaboration and implementation of

medium- and long-term national strategies to

contribute to the reduction of poverty. The Executive

Board meeting of UNDP, held yesterday, was very

successful in advancing UNDP reform. Honduras is

actively participating in this process.

The world of bipolar confrontation is no longer,

and the era of cooperation is under way. Nevertheless,

our Organization is still leaving out States that have

contributed to development, that represent millions of

beings and that participate actively in the world

economy. For these and other reasons, which we have

often cited in this General Assembly and in other

international forums, these States should be

participating in our debates and decisions. One such

State is the Republic of China.

At the dawning of the new millennium we must

strengthen our membership, expand our representation

of peoples and nations and ensure fairer and more

balanced representation in the discussions and

decisions of the Security Council. To this end,

Honduras believes that the Security Council should

make room for important development partners and

representatives of the developing world, on the basis of

equitable geographical representation and with the

consensus of the existing regional groups.

We also believe that the right to exercise the veto

presently enjoyed by a limited number of States should

be confined to specific topics and circumstances, so

that it is not used merely to protect vested interests.

The new vision we have of a renewed United

Nations requires that our Organization become more

competent, more agile and more responsible; that it be

better administered, with a healthy financial system;

and that it produce more tangible results for the

peoples of the world. This is why we support the

results of the Working Group of the General Assembly

and believe that reforming and expanding the Council

must be based on the broadest possible consensus and

be in keeping with fair and equitable geographical

representation, by which developing countries will be

able to make substantial contributions to the decision-

making process so as to solidify world peace and

security.

Our Organization must engage in self-criticism

and be the first to propose changes to its working

methods. Thematic dialogues designed to produce

consensus and plans of action should replace the long,

costly world conferences, the concrete results of which

are not always easy to see. These lofty conferences

should be replaced by a genuine debate in the General

Assembly, and the procedures should be simplified so

as to save the Organization the large sums that we are

presently wasting because of duplication of efforts.

I conclude by referring to the Millennium Summit

held just last week. I would like to recall the idea of the

President of the Republic of Honduras, Mr. Carlos

Flores, that the United Nations can and must work to

bring about the required coexistence of the poor and

the rich, the large and the small, by means of a

platform of sovereign equality and human solidarity.

And our President said,

`More than a world pained by poverty and

inequity for the overwhelming majority, the world

should be the sum of its peoples with at least their

basic needs and essential requirements met.