Chile, 2007

I

would like to congratulate you, Sir, on your election to

preside over the General Assembly. I would also like to

reiterate Chile’s support for the new Secretary-General.

Chile will participate in all the undertakings of the

United Nations.

The international community knows about my

people’s devotion to peace, justice, freedom and

solidarity. It knows that this country at the southern

edge of the world despite the size of its economy

and population, as well as its remoteness has

espoused the great causes of humankind. It knows

about Chile’s contributions in the areas of poverty,

AIDS, hunger and social cohesion. It knows that we

have made substantial contributions to the promotion

and observance of human rights. It knows that, even in

difficult times, we have always supported international

law and world peace with dignity and

determination.

Mine is a country that believes in progress and in

the ability of human beings to be the authors of their

own destiny and to build a better future. The world is

an uncertain place when we are not able to act together.

Globalization becomes unpredictable when we are not

able to manage it. That is the reason we need to

promote the greatest possible sustainable development

with greater justice and social equity for all

humankind. To that end, it is crucial that we craft

agreements and strengthen multilateral institutions, all

the while making progress in the areas of disarmament

and non-proliferation; that we begin negotiations on

the reform and expansion of the Security Council; and

that we make progress in the area of management

reform on the subject of which Chile, South Africa,

Sweden and Thailand have put forth a proposal for the

consideration of Member States.

The major tasks facing us today will probably

require more consensus-building than ever before

known. How can we ensure once and for all that human

rights are respected throughout the entire world? How

can we halt climate change on all continents and

oceans? How can we make equity and social justice for

all the men and women of the world a concern of all

countries? Those are the major challenges which we, as

an international community, must today tackle urgently

and with dedication.

Chile will vigorously promote universal respect

for human rights. The establishment of a fairer and

more humane international order will be possible only

if we place respect for the dignity of the human person

at the heart of the debate. We in Chile will work not

only to improve our own practices and domestic

legislation, but also to promote the strengthening of

human rights, economic and social development, peace

and security.

As the General Assembly is aware, human rights

have been at centre of Chile’s recent history. For the

citizens of my country no place is too remote nor any

situation too foreign when it comes to protecting

human lives and dignity.

We are pleased with the progress made in the area

of norms, both internationally and nationally. We

welcome the adoption and opening for signature of the

International Convention for the Protection of All

Persons from Enforced Disappearance, which fills a

gap in the system for protecting human rights from a

crime against humanity. Chile signed that instrument

and expects to ratify it in the near future. In addition,

the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture

and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or

Punishment is in the process of being approved by our

National Congress.

The new United Nations Human Rights Council

should continue to promote a more effective

international regime for protection, early warning and

promotion in the area of human rights. We also

strongly support the United Nations Declaration on the

Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which is a very

important step in the recognition of the rights of those

peoples.

We shall also work to ensure that democracy and

freedom are consolidated throughout the world.

Democracy is a universal value, but it is a process that

must be supported over time. That is why we will

strongly support the United Nations Democracy Fund,

so that this aspiration becomes a reality.

We are studying with concern the scientific

evidence showing the devastating effects of climate

change on our planet. Yesterday we were discussing its

social, human and economic effects. We are glad that

the world is beginning to take notice of this. It is clear

that there is a serious threat to our future, and we must

act now.

In Chile, for example, we have seen that the

speed with which the glaciers are melting has doubled

in the past ten years. Our southern zones are, in turn,

experiencing a dangerous depletion of the ozone layer,

jeopardizing the health of our citizens. Although we are

not the ones mainly responsible for this deterioration,

Chile has begun to take the necessary steps to mitigate

the effects of global warming and to combine efforts so

that, as a matter of urgency, solutions may be found.

As has been said here many times, there is no

time to lose. The consensus that we must reach, the

effort to enlist the greatest possible support, is

comparable only to the international mobilization that

led to the adoption of the San Francisco Charter six

decades ago. If we do not act now, the future of all

humanity will be endangered.

Therefore we all have the obligation to construct

a new global political consensus to generate collective

action capable of solving the problem in accordance

with the principle of shared but differentiated

responsibility and within the framework of the United

Nations. All of us must contribute, but especially those

who have already polluted and achieved development.

We ask the developed countries to pledge technical and

financial assistance to the developing countries that

most need help with their efforts to combat climate

change.

We strongly hope that at the meetings of the

Parties to the Framework Convention on Climate

Change and the Kyoto Protocol to be held in December

in Bali, progress will be made in defining the

parameters of a post-2012 process. We also hope that

the developed countries will make greater

commitments regarding mitigation, adaptation,

technology transfer and financing.

We must, however, realize that the greatest efforts

by the developed countries will not suffice to halt

climate change. It is also necessary that the developing

countries take additional emission reduction actions in

the framework of a global effort within the scope of the

Convention.

I am the bearer of a message of hope as well for

all nations seeking to eradicate poverty and build fairer

and more inclusive societies. We still have a lot to do.

Nonetheless, we can say that Chile has moved closer to

becoming the country that we so deeply desire,

enjoying greater prosperity and greater social justice.

We are eradicating poverty. In 17 years of democracy,

we have reduced poverty from 40 to 13.7 per cent. We

have achieved practically all of the Millennium

Development Goals. It is an ambitious objective, but

one that is justified by our achievements. We are

constructing a social welfare system that guarantees the

social rights of Chilean men and women from the

cradle to old age. We are protecting our children

girls and boys, our young people, our mothers and

fathers, grandfathers and grandmothers.

We know that we are not alone in this effort.

Poverty, hunger, extreme inequality and exclusion are

realities that exist all over the world. With regard to the

fulfilment of the Millennium Goals, progress has been

made in some regions, but it is not enough. We,

therefore, join in the commitment to the forthcoming

launch of the Global Business Plan for Millennium

Development Goals 4 and 5 that is, to greatly

reduce maternal and child mortality. We do not need

new commitments; we simply need to fulfil the

commitments already made.

My country supports the idea of holding an

international conference to focus concerted worldwide

efforts on attaining the Millennium Goals, proposed by

the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, so that the

dream of also globalizing the prosperity that some have

already achieved can come true in the not too distant

future.

We can also emphasize innovative development

financing mechanisms for development in order to

combat inequality and promote social cohesion.

We are on the right track. As the Assembly knows

well, the Presidents of Brazil, France, Chile, Spain and

Germany, among others, organized an Initiative on

Action Against Hunger and Poverty and their

UNITAID Initiative, through which we have managed

to collect hundreds of millions of dollars to finance the

purchase of drugs to treat AIDS, tuberculosis and

malaria; these medicines have been given to hundreds

of thousands of children, mainly in Africa.

But we have to do more. Social equity and the

construction of a world with a human face should

become a central topic on our global agenda.

The three major causes that I have mentioned can

be tackled only by common accord of the international

community. Hence, the importance of our commitment

to effective and efficient multilateralism, with the

United Nations as its centre of gravity. We are at a

complex juncture, but one of great opportunity. What

we do or fail to do in the next few years will determine

the future of our descendants. It all depends on us.

Now is the time to act.