Mexico, 2001

Allow me to

congratulate you, Sir, on your election as President of

the General Assembly. I should also like to extend my

congratulations to all the other members of the Bureau.

I am sure that your prestige and acknowledged

diplomatic skills will contribute to the successful work

of the General Assembly at this session.

I should also like to extend sincere

congratulations to this Organization and to the

Secretary-General, Kofi Annan. Mexico welcomes the

fact that they were awarded this year’s Nobel Peace

Prize. That is a well-deserved recognition of the

dedication and clarity of vision that have marked the

work of the Secretary-General. It fills us with hope

regarding the efforts that this Organization will have to

make in order to meet the international challenges of

the twenty-first century.

I am addressing the General Assembly on behalf

of the women and men of my country, Mexico — a

country that is in the process of a profound

transformation, determined to strengthen democracy

and development, as well as to take on greater

responsibilities in shaping the new international system

with a view to fostering the prosperity, peace and

security that every inhabitant of the world deserves.

Mexican society is firmly committed to making

Mexico a country that contributes positively to the

worthiest objectives of human well-being. Aware that

there is a diversity of views on ways to achieve this

end, Mexico favours dialogue and agreement as

benchmarks to guide our endeavours. For Mexico the

United Nations is the best example of a global forum

where the voices of all men and women can merge into

a veritable concert of nations.

This is a Mexico that today renews its full

commitment to the United Nations — which not only

demands full respect for the purposes and principles of

the Charter of the United Nations and international law,

but that is also committed to the development of new,

universally observed rules and standards for the

regulation of international relations.

This is a Mexico that acts firmly in the defence

and protection of human rights and of democracy, at all

times and in all places, beginning, of course, within our

own territory, promoting full respect for fundamental

freedoms on the basis of tolerance, plurality and equity.

That is why my Government has initiated formal talks

with the various political parties in Mexico in order to

create favourable conditions for the promotion of a

constitutional reform that will allow Mexico to ratify

the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court,

which our country signed last year.

My Government has also started a necessary

updating of Mexico’s international obligations in the

field of human rights and international humanitarian

law. I have submitted for consideration by the Mexican

Senate the ratification, accession or acceptance of 11

other legal instruments in areas such as the forcible

disappearance of persons, the rights of the child, the

elimination of discrimination against women and the

protection of victims of international armed conflicts.

This new commitment on the part of Mexico to

the defence of human rights was also reflected in the

recent release, for humanitarian reasons, of Rodolfo

Montiel and Teodoro Cabrera, two environmental

activists in Mexico. This effort in the field of human

rights was also reflected in the broad disclosure of

State security agencies files, which will contribute to

increasing transparency regarding both present and past

events, thus making it a central element of my

administration. Mexico is taking concrete steps to

demonstrate that its commitment to the norms of the

international community is profound, sincere and

resolute.

17

The establishment of the United Nations more

than 50 years ago was the triumph of hope and freedom

over the suffering inflicted by the two world wars on

humanity, Today, however, threats to peace and

security do not emerge only from acts of aggression

among States. The new threats also arise from internal

conflicts that have cross-border effects, such as the

massive movement of displaced peoples, humanitarian

tragedies, grave violations of human rights and

fundamental freedoms, and the exacerbation of

nationalism and religious fanaticism. These threats also

derive from worldwide phenomena such as

transnational organized crime, environmental

degradation, AIDS, and, of course, terrorism in all its

forms and manifestations.

There is no doubt that the magnitude and the

cruelty of the 11 September attacks have underscored

the vulnerability of States and the fragility of world

peace. It is a matter of concern to us that terrorist

groups can gain access to weapons of mass destruction

and that they also benefit from the traffic in arms,

organized crime, money laundering and drug

trafficking.

International terrorism not only flouts

international law, but it also endangers the stability of

the community of nations and economic development

processes, increasing unemployment and preventing

headway from being made in the alleviation of poverty.

For this reason, Mexico categorically rejects any

argument that seeks to justify terrorist activities.

Nothing — not the justness of a cause, the inequality of

forces with respect to an antagonist, poverty, or any

other grounds — can justify resorting to violence for

political ends.

Mexico reiterates its commitment to the fight

against terrorism and its decision to fully implement

resolution 1373 (2001) of the Security Council, which

establishes a series of measures for fighting

international terrorism and cutting its ties to practices

such as money laundering and organized crime.

We are firmly committed to the fight against new

threats to international peace and security. We believe

that the international community should meet these

challenges on the basis of three principles: first, the

supremacy of the United Nations; secondly, the

strengthening of international cooperation in resolving

global problems; and thirdly, the shaping of an

international order based on universally observed rules

and standards that meet the needs and aspirations of the

community of nations.

The Government of Mexico is determined to

assist in this effort. For that reason, Mexico feels

deeply honoured to have been elected, after a 20-year

absence, as a non-permanent member of the Security

Council for 2002-2003. It wishes to express its deep

commitment in this respect. We thank the international

community for its support and express our

determination to work actively and responsibly in

favour of the maintenance of international peace and

security. Our intention is that Mexico’s participation in

the Security Council will amplify the voices of

countries that are not usually heard on the international

scene.

In the search for lasting solutions to the new

threats now facing the international system, we must

not fail to address situations that have contributed to

their emergence, such as the lack of economic

development in many nations, the deepening of poverty

and exclusion. The challenges of development not only

remain with us, but have gradually increased with the

growing economic and social inequalities.

Mexico therefore calls on the international

community to give priority to the fight against poverty

and social exclusion. My country reaffirms its interest

in taking a lead in promoting the Agenda for

Development, providing it with renewed impetus and a

more effective approach, so that the United Nations

and the multilateral institutions can fulfil the

commitments contained in the Millennium Declaration.

It is because of the importance we attach to this

issue that Mexico offered to host the International

Conference on Financing for Development, to be held

next year in Monterrey. I invite all heads of State or

Government to contribute, through their active

participation in the Conference, to strengthening the

international community’s efforts to promote world

development that is more just and more equitable, thus

creatively helping to improve the institutions

responsible for development financing.

We face the complex task of integrating our

societies, without exclusion, in the process of the joint

creation and equitable distribution of the opportunities

and benefits of globalization. We must ensure that all

citizens become stakeholders in that process; to do that,

we need an enabling international environment,

including sufficient levels of public and private

18

funding, along with the consolidation of an inclusive

international economic system that is conducive to

more equitable human development.

It will be impossible to make the world more just

if we permit the exclusion of the most vulnerable

groups. That is why my Government has just proposed

the establishment of a special committee to draft a

broad, comprehensive international convention to

promote and protect the rights and dignity of disabled

persons. The convention’s ultimate goal should be to

put in place a binding universal legal instrument for the

benefit of the disabled, guaranteeing the fundamental

rights of millions of men, women and children

worldwide. Mexico hopes that this important

endeavour will enjoy the support of the States Members

of the United Nations.

The history of relations among nations reflects

successes, but also sadly missed opportunities. Today,

our efforts to combat terrorism and to promote

development — the two focuses of my statement

today — may be the start of a new history of successes

for the United Nations.

The brutal events of 11 September make it

imperative that we, the international community,

engage in multilateral negotiations to formulate new

rules and standards to guarantee international peace

and security. There is no doubt that the way in which

our nations face the challenge of terrorism will have an

impact on the principles and priorities of international

relations in coming years.

As a country that is a bridge between regions and

cultures, Mexico is determined to play an active and

leading role in shaping an international system that can

meet the challenges facing us today.

This is a defining moment. Our fundamental

values and the vitality and viability of the United

Nations are being put to the test. The community of

nations must show that it can meet this extraordinary

challenge. This can be a new founding stage in the

history of the Organization, which will yield the

mandates and competences that are indispensable in a

world that is starkly different from that of 1945 but

whose aspirations to peace, respect for human dignity,

justice and freedom still remain those of the San

Francisco Charter.