Panama, 2010

I congratulate you, Sir, on your election to

preside over the General Assembly at its sixty-fifth

session. We fully endorse your proposal to analyse the

central role of the United Nations in global

governance. The United Nations is the international

forum in which to exchange ideas and adopt measures

that strengthen the pillars upon which our governance

stands.

Panama’s geography has allowed my country to

serve as a bridge between and meeting point of the

most diverse cultures and civilizations. Thanks to the

discovery of our special privileged position in 1513

and the opening of the Panama Canal in 1914, today

we connect Europe, the Americas and the East. That is

how our story has been written. Five hundred years

later, we are still working for the benefit of the world’s

maritime commerce.

Our ethnic diversity is a symbol and example of

our national unity. Panama is committed to promoting

economic growth and social justice. We make possible

the peaceful coexistence of all ethnicities and creeds.

We Panamanians love peace, and we manage our canal

with scrupulous careful neutrality. Our foreign policy

is defined by respect, the defence and promotion of

democracy, human rights, and international peace and

international security, all within the framework of the

doctrine of human security.

Panama has played an active role in favour of the

international community at important United Nations

forums. Among these are the Security Council, the

Commission on Human Rights, the Human Rights

Committee, and the Committee on the Elimination of

Discrimination against Women. Our pacifism does not

21 10-54833

imply passivity in the face of situations that affect

international security and the governance of peoples.

Change is in the air all over the globe. People demand

even more of their public servants. Our political and

diplomatic activities are founded on the principles of

international cooperation and the strengthening of

global multilateralism.

Trafficking in drugs, weapons, human organs and

persons — associated with illegal migration — as well

as money-laundering, banditryism and terrorism are the

work of criminal organizations that seek to destabilize

our democracies. The trafficking and illegal possession

of weapons have a devastating effect on human

security and governance in our countries.

For Panama and the Central American region,

drugs are our weapons of mass destruction and are a

vital issue. Drug traffickers filter through our land and

sea borders, polluting our young people with their

poison. Additionally, our region is being used by

networks of human traffickers that steer mixed

migratory flows of persons from other continents

through our borders.

In the face of these challenges, my country and

the other members of the Central American Integration

System have decided to create a regional security

coordination centre. These regional efforts to fight

transnational organized crime, based in my country, are

already yielding encouraging results.

We understand that it is vital to work jointly to

improve the functioning of international institutions,

for the benefit of humanity. In this regard, I find it a

very positive sign for the region that President Porfirio

Lobo of Honduras is participating fully in this

Assembly. In order to count on a world that is more

stable and secure, we must set aside our differences.

Stability requires us to work together to strengthen

human security, both regionally and globally.

Globalization has entered a period of

convergence among the diverse various economies; this

will continue for some years. While the previous stage

of globalization lasted some 60 years, we believe that

the one that began in 1990 will conclude its

readjustments by mid-century. It is also necessary to

note that as a result of this process of convergence, we

have suffered during the past two years the effects of a

significant crisis.

This global crisis demands newer and better

forms of government for our societies. This global

crisis demands the expansion of our markets and better

management of our intergovernmental relations. In this

context, we appreciate the efforts towards developing

the exchange of goods, workers, tourists and

investments across the China Straits, which offer a new

thrust to achieving the full potential of our trade

relations with that region.

For its part, Panama is also expanding its trade

relations through the negotiation of free trade

agreements with Peru and Colombia. We are also

actively pursuing free trade agreements negotiated with

Canada, and the United States of America and an

association agreement between Central America and

the European Union. Accordingly, I wish to take this

opportunity to ask for the support of all Governments

involved, with a view toward their approval and

ratification of all these treaties.

We are on the threshold of an era of economic

growth and opportunity in Latin America. Thus, we

renew our commitment to a more just and inclusive

free trade that offers economic opportunities and

prosperity to all our peoples. With change and reform

sweeping the region, we have more than enough

reasons to promote a new age of cooperation and

working together. Together, we can seize this

opportunity and successfully face our common

challenges.

Panama enjoys very healthy and strong relations

with its main partner, the United States of America — a

partner that is committed to our region’s success. Such

an engaged partner is crucial for the region’s success.

On both trade and security issues, the United States is

and always has been an ally and a willing friend.

Additionally, we understand that for the

comprehensive development of trade relations and the

strengthening of our economies, more measures are

required to ensure effective tax collection. To this end,

Panama has signed agreements to avoid double

taxation and prevent tax evasion. This is part of a

national strategy that seeks to strengthen transparency

and the competitiveness of our country’s international

services. We have already signed agreements with

Mexico, Barbados and Portugal, and a while ago with

the State of Qatar. We have also concluded negotiations

with Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain, France,

Luxembourg, the Republic of Korea and Singapore.

10-54833 22

We want to offer the Panamanian experience as

an example to the world. It is an economic story of

reform at home along with strong international trade

and business relations across the region; these have had

excellent results and have proved fruitful.

The Government of Panama welcomes the

adoption of resolution 65/1, entitled “Keeping the

promise: — united to achieve the Millennium

Development Goals”, and, at the same time, we

reaffirm our commitment to that document.

In a little less than a year in Government, we

have developed structural reforms and programmes to

meet the needs of our people, focusing particularly on

society’s most vulnerable groups. Among these

programmes, allow me to highlight one that consists of

grants to elderly people who lack retirement funds or

pensions. Additionally, we have established a system of

universal scholarships to support our young people

with a monthly stipend from the first to the twelfth

grades. Whether the student attends a public school or

a private school with modest tuition fees, the State is

reducing the dropout rate and strengthening

relationships among teachers, parents and students.

Moreover, in December 2009, we decreed the

highest largest minimum wage increase in the past

50 years. We are thus helping workers in the private

and public sectors who were earning very low wages.

Additionally, we established a solidarity fund to assist

Panamanians of limited means in buying their first

home.

Panama will invest more than $13 billion in

public infrastructure over the next five years. This

effort will include the building of hospitals, the

development of roads, the expansion of Tocumen

International Airport, the building of other airports, and

the establishment of the MetroBus, as well as the

construction of a modern subway system in Panama

City. That first subway line will raise the quality of life

for Panamanian families, who will thus have more time

to share and strengthen family values.

These projects, together with the expansion of the

Canal and the responsible and sustainable exploitation

of our natural resources, will cost more than $20

billion in the coming years and will generate thousands

of jobs that the country so sorely needs. All of these

public works projects will be developed with the

highest environmental standards and will contribute to

a more dynamic economy for Panama and the region as

a whole.

The theme chosen for this debate could not be

more appropriate; we concur that the United Nations

has a calling to play a central role in global

governance. To that end, we need to deepen the process

of reforms begun within the Organization. Panama is

committed to making its contribution to this process,

placing its geographical position and its logistics

infrastructure at the service of the Organization.

In this regard, my Government has two key

projects, namely, the establishment of a United Nations

inter-agency centre for Latin America and the

Caribbean and the creation of a regional logistics

centre for humanitarian assistance, both to be located

in Panama. The first will promote more coherence and

synergy between all regional offices, with greater

efficiency in the use of resources. The second will

improve the regional capacity to respond to natural

disasters and humanitarian crises, and will be the site

of warehouses for the United Nations, and the Red

Cross and Red Crescent.

We reaffirm our conviction that the United

Nations is the international forum for the exchange of

ideas and for adopting measures that strengthen the

pillars upon which world governance rests. The United

Nations is also a forum of goodwill where nations can

work together on shared goals. In our region that

means jobs, opportunity and security for our peoples. It

also means modernizing economies, reforming the

Government, and ensuring social well-being.

Panama is a good example of this success. Today,

my country reaffirms its belief in and solidarity with

the United Nations system. I say this unambiguously

and with great certainty. We are fully prepared and

willing to offer all the peoples of the planet the best

possible service and utility and, as a product of that, to

develop our citizens. That is Panama’s mission, and we

will accomplish it.