Venezuela, 2008

For Venezuelans, Latin

Americans and Caribbeans, it is an honour, Sir, to have

you as President of the General Assembly at this

session. No one is a more authentic Christian than a

progressive Christian. It is a risky position and one

which requires sacrifice for a person like yourself,

whose life has been a testament to his lofty values.

Indeed, this criterion is valid for Muslims, Jews,

Buddhists, animists, Hindus, atheists, and so on if their

lives are a testament to their respective ethical

obligations.

There is another religion whose adherents and

priests preach from their temples. It is the religion of

neoliberalism, whose god is the market.

A few years ago, a well-known academic,

captivated by his own materialistic image, announced

the end of history, claiming that we had reached not the

fountain of eternal youth but the secret to eternal

prosperity. Today, prompted by the sixtieth anniversary

of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, we

qualify that thought as a curse that reflects the

insensitivity of the most egotistical and corrupt.

At the time of the French Revolution someone

said “Freedom, how many crimes are committed in

your name?” These days we could say “Free market,

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how much poverty, how much violence, how much

torture, how many wars, how many invasions, how

much oppression, how much social injustice is

committed in your name?” We are, therefore,

sympathetic with President Nicolas Sarkozy’s peace

initiatives and his appropriate ideas about a regulated

capitalism and a summit of countries affected by the

financial crisis.

Accustomed as we were to suffering the perverse

effects of the brutal application of neoliberal policies,

today we see the pain, anguish and anger of millions of

our brothers in the United States. They have been

swindled by upper-class criminals, an experience that

we Venezuelans know well.

Since memory is fragile and the neoliberal global

dictatorship uses private communications media to hide

its crimes, allow me to recount a terrible event that

occurred in the country that was the first lab rat for the

most radical formula from Wall Street and the

International Monetary Fund. I am speaking of my

country, Venezuela.

In only two days, in February 1989, a

spontaneous people’s rebellion was mercilessly

crushed. It was a protest against the application,

without anaesthesia, of the magic formulas that the

great financial centres imposed on us. Several

non-governmental human rights organizations at the

time registered thousands of deaths, but the official

statistics recognized only 259 dead, without

mentioning those who were injured or material

damage — only 259 dead in two days.

As a diplomat in those terrible days, I assumed

that there would be complaints and condemnations

from friendly Governments with good human-rights

track records. Nothing of the sort happened. Venezuela

was the pet project of Latin American democracies

and, at the same time, a neoliberal laboratory whose

failure had to be kept secret. The media accomplices of

yesterday that kept these crimes secret are the same

that today slander the democratic, peaceful, socialist

revolutionary Venezuelan process led by President

Hugo Chávez.

In Venezuela we practice extreme democracy:

extreme freedom of expression, extreme participation,

extreme challenge to the neoliberal monster and

extreme commitment to social justice, hence the

international media campaign to attempt to slander and

stifle democracy in Venezuela. The instruments of that

campaign have a name: the Fox network in the United

States, the Grupo de Diarios de América, the Inter

American Press Association, the neocolonialist group

Promotora de Informaciones, S.A., the El Pais daily,

the Cadena de Ondas Populares de España (COPE)

radio network of the blessed Catholic Bishops’

Conference of Spain, the El Mercurio daily in Chile,

the El Universal daily in Mexico, the pro-coup

Venezuelan television station Globovision, and many

other lackeys of the international far right.

That brings to mind a topic that no one talks

about. Some people think that Nelson Mandela did

away with apartheid. In the United States, the people

we see on the television screens are like the people we

see in the streets. Not so in Latin America, in

Venezuela and in multi-ethnic Latin American

countries. On their televisions we do not see people of

mixed races, nor indigenous people, nor Afro-Latin

Americans unless they are playing the role of the

servants. Hence the racist hatred against the indigenous

majority in Bolivia. Racism is the most perverse form

of discrimination. In the worst dictatorships and under

persecution, it is possible to hide one’s thoughts, faith

and political affiliation. But what one can never hide is

the colour of one’s skin.

Democracy, international social justice and peace

cannot survive under the schemes of unilateralism and

the muscular exercises of hegemonic powers. Dissent

should not be punished but rather recognized as an

expression of democratic and pacifist values.

Appreciation of and respect for those who are different

is a guarantee of the fulfilment of the principles

enshrined in the United Nations Charter. Democracy

and peace should stem from creativity and the

confidence generated by the variety of ideas, colours,

interests and proposals.

Progressive democracy has burgeoned in Latin

America and the Caribbean, particularly within the past

10 years, just as the continent has been undergoing

profound social change. Long ago, during the sixties

and seventies, the magic solution to attain the complete

democracy and social progress that some preached was

through free and transparent elections, although in

certain select circumstances the elections were neither

very democratic nor very transparent. Nevertheless,

they were welcomed into the so-called democratic

club, since they adhered to unspoken patterns of

political behaviour dictated by the global metropolis.

23 08-53141

It is a fact that today in Latin America elections

are more participatory, more transparent and freer than

ever. Nevertheless, the results are not welcomed when

the winners have previously been labelled as villains

by the imperial super-Power.

The spectre of progressive democracy is lying in

wait for the continent of social injustice. People are

deciding their own destiny, as they should. But they are

making this choice with a clear preference for leftist

movements that offer a response to their circumstances.

That does not suit the far right, which is no lover of

democracy, as much as it claims to be.

That reminds me to some extent of Henry Ford,

when he spoke of his great success in selling the

Model T. He said “Any customer can have a car

painted any colour that he wants so long as it is black”.

Something similar is happening with the super-Power

and its partners on our continent. Anyone who wins

free and transparent elections monitored by credible

international observers is accepted, provided that

person is right-wing.

Dissent is not accepted by some people in the

global village. The new movements, which are

supported by the majority of those who are excluded,

are not welcome. The magnates of private media are

themselves a threat to democracy and freedom,

aligning themselves with the interests they serve, while

poisoning the collective psyche of the more timid

groups in society.

Concerted efforts to undermine legitimate

institutions are being launched and consolidated under

fundamentalist doctrines. New witch hunts identify that

phenomenon, and the fundamentalists of the right are

embarking on well-coordinated and well-financed

ventures while continuing to sign off on huge corporate

deals. Such is the case with the Halliburton company,

whose balance sheets are spattered with Arab and

American blood. All the while, Al Qaeda is bigger than

ever, and the weapons of mass destruction have still

not been found.

Homegrown right-wing and racist forces,

emboldened by foreign support, do not recognize the

legitimacy of new or renewed institutions and cause

political and social instability and separatism. Look at

Bolivia. In Ecuador, those groups will not accept the

overwhelming popular support provided yesterday to

President Correa’s draft constitution, so we will have

to invite him to come in and join the axis of evil.

In any case, there is not much to worry about

when it comes to the leftist democracies. They are very

modern, in the sense that they do not have religious or

gender police, while on the other hand they are

antiquated democracies, where those who gain the

most votes come in first and are elected.

The drama of poverty, social exclusion and

uneven distribution of income still tyrannizes our

countries. The current model of development is not

sustainable. It endangers life, the planet and peace. As

long as there is still hunger, our democracies and our

environment are threatened. The time for profound and

demanding changes has come. Secretary-General Ban

Ki-moon, in his address to this Assembly at its 5th

meeting, referred to the need for a new understanding

on business ethics, with more compassion and less

unconditional faith in the magic of the markets. Greed

and consumerism have brought about climate change,

the energy crisis, financial chaos and the food crisis.

The world food crisis continues to expand. Food

has become just a form of merchandise used to

maximize profits, with the human right to food

ignored. According to the statistics of the Food and

Agriculture Organization, global food production has

consistently exceeded global population growth. That

means that sufficient food is produced in the world to

provide more than 2,800 calories every day to each of

the world’s inhabitants. Close to 18 per cent more

calories are produced per person than was the case in

the 1960s, despite the increase in the total population.

If sufficient food is produced in the world, how can we

explain the fact that more than 850 million people now

suffer from hunger or malnutrition, that 25,000 people

die from hunger every day and that 18,000 of those are

children?

The Secretary-General has stated that

development is in a state of emergency, and he

continues to appeal for progress on the Millennium

Development Goals.

Venezuela promotes policies for social inclusion,

public policies to ensure everyone’s rights. In order to

build a new model for development on the basis of

solidarity, social justice, equity, cooperation, respect

for human rights and the participation of the people,

Venezuela has a comprehensive social development

policy based on the human being. The foundation of

that policy is social missions undertaken through wide-

ranging and free social and economic programmes to

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reach out to all sectors of society, with a particular

emphasis on the most vulnerable, in order to guarantee

the social and economic rights of our people in peace

and democracy.

With great satisfaction and humility, our country

can share with the Assembly the progress we have

achieved in implementing the Millennium

Development Goals. The number of people in extreme

poverty has dropped in our country, and there has been

an increase of 10.8 per cent in primary school

attendance. Unemployment has dropped from 23 per

cent to 7 per cent. In recent years, gross domestic

product expenditures on health have increased by 57.1

per cent. We provide total coverage to those suffering

from AIDS. The proportion of the population with

access to drinking water has increased from 80 per cent

in 1998 to 95 per cent in 2007. During the period from

1996 to 2007, infant mortality dropped from 23.4 to

13.4 per 1,000 live births.

Venezuela has made major contributions to

efforts for cooperation and complementarity between

the countries of the South. The Bolivarian Alternative

for the Americas (ALBA), which was established by

Bolivia, Cuba, Nicaragua, Dominica, Honduras and

Venezuela, is an initiative that brings together the

abilities and strengths of its members to bring about

structural change and the relationships necessary to

achieve development and continue to exist as sovereign

and just nations.

Petrocaribe is an energy cooperation agreement

proposed by the Government of Bolivia to resolve the

asymmetries in the region between energy producers

and consumers by means of a new, equitable and just

system of trade between the countries of the Caribbean

region.

The Union of South American Nations

(UNASUR) is an ongoing political endeavour, which,

in its short existence, has shown that it is politically

effective and respects the sovereignty of peoples. It has

arrived at common positions on projects in the fields of

energy, social affairs, finance, education,

infrastructure, dispute resolution and defence, and has

gone beyond mere talk to become part of daily life of

the citizens of South America. The recent unanimous

support of President Evo Morales and democracy in

Bolivia is a good example of that.

The President of the General Assembly,

Mr. Miguel d’Escoto Brockmann, stated that more than

a half of the peoples of the Earth languish in hunger

and poverty while ever-increasing amounts of money

are wasted on arms, wars, luxury items and totally

superfluous and unnecessary goods.

That addiction to war is the only thing that can

explain the fact that, after the collapse of the Soviet

Union, war-loving countries and alliances continued to

chip away, day after day, at Russian democracy and to

intrigue in the region against Moscow instead of

abandoning their threats of war and trying to resolve

the lack of trust that is the source of conflict and

violence. It is a disgraceful situation that has not

wanted for ignorant cowboys who think they are

heroes. The Russian bear is awakening from its

hibernation.

How many human lives have we lost among

Iraqis, Americans, Latin Americans, Europeans, Asians

and Africans? And how many lives could we save if the

resources devoted to war and to the recovery of

financial institutions were devoted instead to social

investment?

The reform process requires the adoption of

measures to strengthen the authority of the General

Assembly, including on matters of international peace

and security, given that it is the principal deliberating,

participatory and democratic body of the Organization.

Venezuela supports the expansion of both the

permanent and non-permanent membership of the

Security Council, the abolishment of the

antidemocratic post-war mechanism of the veto and the

improvement of the Council’s working methods, so

that it may be more transparent and accessible and so

that never again will anyone resort to lying to the

Council.

We must remain vigilant to ensure that the

Human Rights Council continues to operate on the

basis of principles of impartiality, objectivity and

non-selectivity without stigmatizing anyone and to

promote constructive dialogue, without diversions

about certification, cooperation without preconditions

or vetoes, and respect for the particular circumstances

of nations and regions, as well as for our diverse

historical, cultural and religious pasts.

We reject racist, xenophobic and discriminatory

measures that clearly deny the human rights that

should apply universally to all, including migrants.

Criminalizing migrants and their families violates their

fundamental rights. Measures such as the Return

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Directive approved by the European Parliament incite

racism, xenophobia and other forms of discrimination

and intolerance. That is incompatible with the defence,

promotion and protection of human rights, democracy

and the rule of law. We prefer a Europe of light,

integration and reconciliation to a Europe of shadows.

We know that we are not at the end of history; we

are not even at the beginning of the end of history.

What we do know is that we are apparently at the close

of a chapter of history, at the end of a neoliberal

nightmare in which unbridled capitalism — as John

Paul II described it — social violence and the

persistent worldwide violation of all human rights

prevailed.

This afternoon, the House of Representatives of

the United States of America took an historic decision

whose effects will be felt throughout the world in the

times to come. Very soon next year, we hope to be able

to say that the worst has past and that the perverse

effects of the religion of the market will be replaced,

God willing, on the global level, allowing us to move

towards democracy, progress and social justice,

ensuring peace among nations — among nations that

are free and stand together, among nations that are

united.