Uruguay, 2005

I would

like to extend the sincerest condolences of the people

and Government of the Eastern Republic of Uruguay to

the victims of Hurricane Katrina, as well as to all the

citizens of the world, men and women, old and young,

who are victims of natural disasters, of the fury of

nature, which is showing us that it will no longer be

abused by mankind.

I come from Uruguay, a small South American

country, whose main wealth is its vocation for peace,

its drive for freedom and the democratic commitment

that its people have been forging for generations.

I convey the greetings of the people and

Government of Uruguay to this forum, which is the

broadest, most representative and most important

forum in the world today. It is a greeting that is

demanding, committed and hopeful.

The greeting is demanding because we are living

at a very particular time in the history of mankind. In

fact, at very few moments in history have we seen

circumstances so rich in paradoxes and so poor in

paradigms as the present one. Never before has

mankind had at its disposal such scientific and

technological progress and such a significant cultural

heritage to guarantee a life in dignity. However, never

before has mankind suffered so much inequality,

intolerance and uncertainty.

We know that we have reached this point, but we

are uncertain about where we are heading. We cannot

be passive witnesses to the situation; no one can wash

his hands of his own problems nor of problems that

seem remote. We cannot resign ourselves to a future

that is an unchanging extension of the present. There is

no reason whatsoever to give up the hope of a utopia,

without which darkness could be our fate.

Our greeting is committed because we all bear the

responsibility, which we cannot abdicate, of being the

masters of our own lives and the architects of our own

futures. This task is a road on which neither privileges

nor condemnations are allowed; we are all travelling

on an equal footing. Nor does this road permit

shortcuts. History is neither a gallery of national heroes

nor a calendar of outstanding events: history is made

by people day by day.

In this context, we upon whom our peoples have

conferred the task of governing have a very demanding

responsibility ahead of us. And that is because

governing means managing with efficiency and

transparency: it means articulating in a democratic

fashion this rich and complex network that is society.

But to govern means also to envisage the future and to

call upon people to build that future among all and for

all.

Our greeting is hopeful as well. Although we do

not overlook the risks, the difficulties and the limits

within the national, regional and global contexts, we

believe in human beings, we believe in society. We

believe in democracy as a means to govern but also as

a human impulse and as a state of society.

Although I said this during our statement at the

High-level Plenary Meeting which took place in this

same Hall a few hours ago, I wish to reiterate before

the Assembly that the Eastern Republic of Uruguay

reaffirms the principles that have characterized its

foreign policy.

First is the firm commitment to peace,

sovereignty, democracy and solidarity. When I speak

about peace, democracy, solidarity and freedom I

would like to recall that six days ago marked the thirty-

second anniversary of the occasion when a man gave

his life defending peace, democracy and freedom. I

would like thus to pay tribute to Salvador Allende.

The second principle is the firm rejection of any

kind of terrorism, violence and discrimination. The

third is the inalienable right of every State to safe and

stable borders and to be completely free to exercise its

sovereignty and self-determination, and fourth is

respect for international law as the best guarantee of

the sovereignty of peoples and their peaceful

coexistence.

28

The fifth principle is non-alignment and non-

intervention in affairs that come under the domestic

jurisdiction of States. Sixthly, we reaffirm

multilateralism as a means to strengthen international

law, enhancing the role of the United Nations. Seventh,

we acknowledge the indivisibility of all human rights,

be they political, social, economic, civil or cultural,

including those of a collective nature such as the right

to development and to a safe environment.

In conformity with these principles, Uruguay first

of all deems it necessary to move forward with the

reforms that will allow the United Nations to fully

fulfil its commitments. Because such reforms are of a

complex nature, they should be undertaken with a

sense of history and with political will, and without

hegemonic intentions.

Secondly, Uruguay renews its commitment to the

Millennium Goals, which in our country means the

design and implementation of a system of integrated

and global social policies that address the poverty and

destitution suffered by almost one million Uruguayans

and that, at the same time, are part of a strategy of

change and development.

Thirdly, Uruguay reiterates its will to continue

participating in United Nations peacekeeping

operations and will contribute its efforts to improving

the security and the conditions of service of those

missions.

We also express our support for the Secretary-

Generalís initiative to create a Peace Commission, to

which, we believe, Uruguay could contribute,

continuing its support for peacekeeping missions and

the expertise acquired in rebuilding devastated

countries.

There is no peace in intolerance and terrorism, no

freedom in poverty, and no democracy in inequality. It

is crucial to reject every expression of violence, but

before rejecting it, it must be avoided by attacking its

roots.

This is quite simply because every human being,

simply by being human, has the right to live in dignity.

Societies where there is a contrast between an opulent

few and a neglected majority are not prosperous.

Societies where to be born is a problem, to be young is

suspect, to get an education and a job is a privilege and

to grow old is a curse have no future. This is the way

we see it in Uruguay. We have learned this from those

generations that preceded us in building a country that,

though it has its own unique features, is not atypical of

nor alien to the Latin American context.

While it is true that the first half of the last

century was a favourable period for Uruguay, it is also

true that - due to a combination of external

circumstances and domestic structural weaknesses -

the last fifty years were a period of economic

deterioration, impoverishment and even an institutional

breakdown in 1973.

We Uruguayans regained democracy in 1985, and

the current Government, which took office exactly 200

days ago, is working hard to heal the wounds

dictatorship caused through human rights violations.

We are not hostages to the past, but Uruguayan society

needs to know the truth about what happened to ensure

that never again will it happen - never again.

Nevertheless, with the commitments that we have

assumed to Uruguayan society - whose will is our

mandate ó the Government of which I am head is

promoting changes: changes which are necessary,

possible, responsible and gradual, changes with

political and social support, changes that do not

overlook reality but do not give up on the dream of a

Uruguay with human development, with productive

economic growth and with a safe environment, a

Uruguay fully integrated into its own region and into

the international arena. We are not starting from

scratch, but we have a lot to do to achieve this utopia,

the dream of which motivates us as a nation.

In conclusion, this is exactly what I wished to

convey to members on behalf of the Government and

the people of the Eastern Republic of Uruguay: far

away, in the forgotten southern part of South America,

there is a country that does not resign itself to

difficulties, that is building its own destiny and that,

faithful to its tradition, wishes to join in building a

better world, working alongside all our dear brethren,

the citizens of the world.