Honduras, 2001

At this juncture, when humanity is faced with

various challenges, it is essential that the United

Nations receive the broadest and most firm support as

it plays the role of coordinator of our collective efforts.

The 2001 Nobel Peace Prize, awarded to the

Secretary-General and to the United Nations as a

whole, is a further reaffirmation of trust in this

universal Organization, which was created to banish

violence and to further human development. We

warmly congratulate the Secretary-General and the

officials and employees of the Organization.

The international turmoil brought about by the

terrorist attack of 11 September against the people and

the Government of the United States of America, as

well as against the highest values of the civilized

world, has radically altered the way in which we think

about international security. Our own people are not

immune from this new reality. Buried under the rubble

of the World Trade Center are the remains of

Hondurans who had come to this country to turn their

hopes into reality. The President of the United States,

in his statement this morning, referred to the many

countries whose nationals perished in the twin towers.

It is, indeed, an international phenomenon.

The Presidents of the Central American countries,

at the invitation of the President of Honduras, Mr.

Carlos Flores, met in Honduras on 19 September and

adopted specific joint steps to be taken at the

subregional level to combat terrorism. The purpose is

to contribute, within our modest capacities, to that end,

which is synonymous with the maintenance of

international peace and security. Those steps include

controls on migration and financial flows and

intelligence sharing in the framework of the

Organization of American States and the United

Nations.

The Government of Honduras notes with deep

concern the escalating violence in the Middle East. In

the light of the circumstances at the time, we supported

the establishment of the State of Israel. Today, we want

to use this international forum, which plays a critical

role in the search for a solution in the region, to

reaffirm the right of Israel to exist as a sovereign, free

and secure States. We also support recognition of the

inalienable right of the Palestinian people to self-

determination and to the establishment of a Palestinian

State. We are convinced that that constitutes a suitable

formula for real peace in the Middle East.

In his introductory remarks today, the Secretary-

General expressed his grief and revulsion at the

cowardly acts of international terrorism. He also wisely

noted that none of the other problems before us has

become any less urgent. In addition to terrorism, other

grave dangers threaten peace and the well-being of

individuals. Among them is HIV/AIDS, which was the

focus of a special session of the General Assembly,

held from 25 to 27 June 2001. That collective

endeavour led to the establishment of a global

HIV/AIDS and health fund to support joint measures

against the pandemic. The special session raised the

level of understanding of the scope of the pandemic,

which goes beyond health, because it also has a social

and economic impact.

The June session forged links of cooperation

among nations with a view to sharing experience and

solutions in the fight against HIV/AIDS. In particular,

it is essential to reduce the cost of drugs: in Honduras,

as in many other countries, most of the infected and

their families cannot afford the necessary treatment.

Brazil’s agreements with pharmaceutical companies in

this field are worthy of emulation. This should be a

goal in dealing with diseases that hit the developing

countries hardest.

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In Honduras, we are encouraged by the fact that

the rate at which the virus is spreading has slowed.

Forecasts two years ago overestimated today’s levels of

infection – although these continue to be high. The

United Nations Educational, Cultural and Scientific

Organization is helping us to set up a regional AIDS

prevention centre at San Pedro Sula to serve the entire

Central American region.

Extreme poverty is another major threat to the

peace and welfare of individuals. Here too, the United

Nations deserves the support of the entire international

community in helping overcome the causes of extreme

poverty through strategic measures aimed at offering

opportunities to sectors that are now excluded so that

they can enjoy a decent life and be a productive part of

their societies. That does not mean only vocational and

technological training; ignoring the hardship caused by

widespread illiteracy would amount to condemning 70

per cent of the world’s population to wretchedness. The

United Nations has come forward with valuable

international initiatives.

For its part, Honduras has adopted a poverty

reduction strategy in which education plays a

fundamental role. This grew out of a national

consensus which in turn holds the key to country’s

recovery and transformation in the aftermath of

hurricane Mitch.

The United Nations must promote fundamental

democratic freedoms, including participation and

legitimate representation in decision-making processes.

Here the Organization has played an ever-growing role

in facilitating dialogue and promoting consensus. In

recent years, Honduras has held a national dialogue in

a variety of fields of vital importance for the nation’s

future. The results have been promising. In addition to

formulating a national-reconstruction plan to overcome

the unprecedented damage caused by hurricane Mitch

three years ago, the Government of President Carlos

Flores, in one of the broadest consultative processes in

our history as a republic, has, together with our people,

adopted a 15-year strategy for poverty reduction. That

is the first plan of its kind, arrived at through a national

consensus, to be adopted by my country.

Alleviating poverty, overcoming educational

backwardness, responding to epidemics and reducing

our vulnerability to natural phenomena: all are linked

to economic output and to its intelligent distribution.

We are thus aware that it is not only underpinnings in

the form of programmes that are needed; fairness and

justice in international trade are also required. To be

consistent with the rhetoric of international trade, we

need better access to major markets. Agricultural

products of developed countries must no longer be so

heavily subsidized, so that the products of those of us

who are handicapped by our level of development can

be more competitive in line with the principles of that

rhetoric. What is good for some should be good for all.

We need a level playing field that takes into account

asymmetries and conditions on all sides.

Political maturity in Member States is intimately

bound up with how well those States meet their

international obligations. Peace, tranquillity, the ability

to cooperate and interdependence are all intertwined

with how seriously international relations are

conducted. The much-quoted third paragraph of the

preamble of the Charter of the United Nations says that

we, the peoples of the United Nations, are determined

“to establish conditions under which justice and

respect for the obligations arising from treaties

and other sources of international law can be

maintained”.

Indeed, adherence to the principle of pacta sunt

servanda and other sources of international obligations

is a factor for building trust among States. Its absence

poses a threat to the Organization’s guiding spirit and

to the principles that are its pillars.

The President of Mexico, His Excellency Mr.

Vicente Fox, has invited the States of the Caribbean to

attend a conference to promote the implementation of

their commitments on maritime limits under the United

Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. As a State

party to that Convention, my country supports the

Mexican Government’s initiative. Moreover, on a

bilateral level, we are pursuing in good faith and in

conformity with international law the early conclusion

of treaties on maritime limits with our Caribbean Sea

neighbours. We applaud the efforts now under way

under a special process, sponsored by the Organization

of American States, by our neighbours Belize and

Guatemala towards a final solution to the century-long

territorial dispute. Such a solution should include, to

the extent possible and with the participation of the

three States directly concerned — Belize, Guatemala

and Honduras — the adoption of stable legal

agreements on cooperation in the Gulf of Honduras.

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Honduras believes that disputes are an integral

part of inter-State relations. What is alarming is not

that there should be differences between States; rather,

it is the attitude with which they are approached.

Similarly, we note that domestic political concerns

should not be allowed to interfere with shared interests

in subregional integration. To allow our domestic

political goals to affect our integration process would

mean endangering the future of integration itself, and

thus the future of the shared interests of the Central

American countries.

We have a united Organization, all of whose

various bodies and specialized agencies are working

ever more closely together in pursuit of specific

objectives. This is a time of extraordinary importance

for the international community and hence for the

United Nations and all of its Member States.

Accordingly, we must work ever harder to promote the

values of peace and human development that we all

share. In this endeavour, all countries, small and large,

must abide by the guidelines which we, the majority,

have agreed upon in order to save our planet from

climate change, whose damaging effects are making

themselves felt everywhere.

At this juncture the Organization should continue

and expand its leadership and allow all peaceful

international players, including the Republic of China

on Taiwan, to participate in the joint combat against the

renewed threats to peace, security and the welfare of all

nations. All of this applies to the international arena.

At the national level, organization at the local

community level is essential in order to dispel

uncertainty, overcome indifference and strengthen

human solidarity based on reason. This was the case

during the recent floods along the Atlantic coast of

Honduras. As a result of the preparation and prevention

programmes promoted by the Administration of

President Flores, the loss of life was minimal, and

emergency support services operated effectively and in

a timely manner. This was because the local

communities had learned how to prevent most of the

damage caused by such natural phenomena.

The lesson is clear: at the national and

international levels, we must try to organize our work

as individuals and as countries and to coordinate those

efforts in order to reduce our vulnerability in all areas,

be they environmental, economic, political or security-

related, on the basis of the principles of a culture of

peace, which we have agreed upon together.

In a few months’ time, President Flores will

conclude his term of office. He will leave behind a

stable country with transparency restored, the rule of

law strengthened and a macroeconomic administration

recognized by the international community — a

country that has recorded positive economic growth

despite having suffered the greatest natural disaster in

our history.

I conclude this address — the last to be delivered

by the present Government of Honduras in the General

Assembly’s general debate — by conveying the

greetings and appreciation of the people of Honduras

and of the Government of President Flores to the

international community and to all of the peoples who

have stood by us during the most difficult moments of

our history. Those have included, as we will all recall,

the terrible hurricane of 1998 and its negative

consequences, which have affected us ever since. We

Hondurans have renewed our faith in international

solidarity and have grown stronger in our conviction

that the destiny of our nation and of our planet hinges

on what we are doing today to build a future for our

nations.