Chile, 2014

At

the end of the twentieth century, we imagined that the

twenty-first century would bring greater progress and

peace for all and that it would be free of the tragedies

that had convulsed the world. Indeed, we have seen

hopeful signs of development in many dimensions. Yet

paradoxically, we see all around us the symptoms of

crises that, while they may be more localized, have

more devastating humanitarian consequences. These

challenges include regional wars, ethnic and religious

tensions, humanitarian crises, the trampling of human

rights, the break-up of several States, climate change,

deepening inequality, cross-border terrorism and the

spread of terrible pandemics such as Ebola, all of

which require a firm, urgent response on the part of the

international community.

That instability, along with a lack of social

cohesion, poses a threat to peace, security, human

rights, development and democracy. This affects not

only countries or States, but the actual men and women

who inhabit them. In other words, it is a threat to all we

believe in — everything that constitutes the basis of the

agreement on which the United Nations was founded

and everything that is our raison d’être as leaders of

our societies. That is why the United Nations remains

irreplaceable as an institution for addressing global

challenges and for agreeing on the actions needed to

resolve them, even if some of those actions have not

produced the desired results.

The Security Council has contributed to addressing

and preventing crises. One response has been the

design of robust peacekeeping operations with a strong

emphasis on the protection of civilians. However, on

many occasions Council members have been unable

to act with unity. That undoubtedly undermines the

legitimacy and credibility of the principal organ

responsible for international peace and security.

This year has seen a significant rise in the number

of humanitarian crises around the world, in particular

in the number of complex emergencies with regional

impacts that indirectly affect already-fragile States. We

are concerned about the 3 million refugees created by

the crisis in Syria; about the actions of terrorist groups

such as the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant; about the

cruel violence that the world has witnessed in Gaza. We

express our solidarity with the victims and categorically

condemn the use of violence. Any action in this area

must be taken within the context of international law.

We believe that the international community should

seek political solutions and inclusive negotiations

to facilitate action by the Security Council. For our

part, we are prepared to increase our humanitarian

commitments and shall consider accepting refugees

from those conflict zones.

We are also concerned about the situation in

Ukraine. Here the position of Chile is clear. We

believe that the principle of territorial integrity must

be respected and that, at the same time, the rights of

minorities must be protected. We believe that a solution

can be found to prevent an escalation of violence,

sanctions and tensions that may well spread throughout

the planet.

Generally speaking, we wish to reaffirm our belief

in the need to respect the integrity of State borders.

International law is clear and unambiguous. Any

action designed to affect existing boundary treaties

creates room for legal uncertainty and could jeopardize

international peace and stability. In that context, we

continue to believe that reform of the Security Council

is a pending issue requiring political decision and swift

action. We reiterate our support for the enlargement of

the Council and for the aspirations of Germany, Brazil,

Japan and India to become permanent members. In

addition, Chile favours a serious debate on the French

proposal to limit the right to veto in the case of crimes

involving the responsibility to protect.

We acknowledge the Secretary-General’s efforts to

achieve a more inclusive global governance in which

the post-2015 development agenda and the sustainable

development goals occupy a central place and require

the political support of Governments and societies in

all regions. The post-2015 process provides a great

opportunity to tackle the social and development

issues common to all societies and regions, using

a comprehensive approach, through specific and

measurable goals. Women and peace and security is an

item on the agenda of the Security Council to which

Chile, as a member of the Council, attaches priority.

Since the adoption of resolution 1325 (2000), the world

has made progress in the protection of women and girls

in armed conflicts.

Our efforts to empower women and promote

initiatives to combat violence against women and girls

have been tireless. Thanks to those efforts, today women

are at the centre of the new development and peace

architecture. We believe that the full incorporation

of women in every area of society — including the

economy, politics, and culture — is a prerequisite for

their full development. It, therefore, should also be a

priority in the post-2015 development agenda, as should

early childhood development, which is something that

has to do with the future of our societies.

I come from Latin America, a region of

middle-income countries that has its own dreams,

challenges and tasks. For us, sustainable development,

security, the quality of governance and, above all,

inequality and social cohesion are the most pressing

problems. We want those challenges to appear in the

post-2015 development agenda, which must be inclusive

and reflect the situation in all regions of the world.

We believe that inequality is one of the greatest

threats to countries’ development and international

security. It fosters social unrest and prevents us all

from moving towards inclusive development and

ending exclusion and poverty, which in turn can lead

to resentment and violence. Therefore, overcoming

inequality, with its many faces, must occupy a central

place among the post-2015 development goals. We also

believe that the United Nations system should have the

tools for measuring specific progress in a universal

agenda to combat inequality.

Chile is dealing with the challenge of inequality

decisively and over the long term. Today in Chile, there

is a common belief in the need for change — change

specifically designed to substantially improve equity

and inclusion. Having made great progress, Chile would

like to consolidate and move ahead but recognizes that a

society that has undergone profound and rapid changes

faces new challenges.

Public opinion and political evolution tell us that

the time has come to take meaningful steps through

substantive reforms providing the essential basis

for moving towards a more dynamic, inclusive and

equitable development. That is a basic condition for

moving towards a better society for all. To that end, we

have recently adopted a tax reform to ensure greater

equity, fiscal sustainability and the resources necessary

to carry out an education reform that will ensure a

quality education, free of charge, and opportunities for

all. Chile will not achieve development while dragging

the burden of inequality. We all know that, which is

why the tax reform has received cross-cutting support.

We are also introducing long-awaited political

reforms to enhance our democracy and institutional

legitimacy. We have already adopted a law allowing

Chileans residing abroad to vote. Progress is being made

on the reform to alter the electoral system by eliminating

the existing bias and motivating citizens to participate,

since now every vote will count. And we want to move

towards a new Constitution with fully democratic

foundations and content. We launched a productivity

and growth agenda to stimulate the economy, promote

sustainable development and create decent jobs, as a

basic prerequisite for achieving a lasting reduction in

inequality and enhancing opportunities. Ultimately, we

want to broaden the scope of rights to bring them into

line with our enhanced capability as a country.

Climate change exacerbates inequalities and

intensifies threats. There is a collective duty to act,

and Chile is convinced that Latin America has a big

contribution to make in this debate. Climate change

aggravates inequalities because it has the greatest

impact on the most vulnerable. Chile has only a marginal

effect on the problem, since it accounts for only 0.25 per

cent of carbon emissions, but it undoubtedly suffers the

consequences of climate change, as do many others.

Therefore, we want to be part of the solution. Since

we understand that this entails a global commitment,

differentiated actions and binding obligations, we

voluntarily made a commitment to reduce our emissions

by 20 per cent by 2020. Several other Latin American

countries have made similar voluntary commitments.

We should like to propose here that there be some type

of accountability, which would facilitate compliance

and would help to set an example for the countries that

are lagging behind.

The Organization must ensure the efficiency and

consistency of multilateralism as a special forum

for tackling the major global issues in an inclusive

manner, creating international regimes and promoting

cooperation arrangements in priority areas for our

peoples. Our country trusts multilateralism, and

we believe that participating in the system involves

both rights and responsibilities. Because we want to

contribute to the solution of global problems, we are a

member of the Security Council and the Human Rights

Council, we aspire to membership in the Economic

and Social Council, and we are contributing to

peacekeeping operations, including the United Nations

Stabilization Mission in Haiti. That Mission, in which

a number of Latin American countries are engaged, is

a tangible action of solidarity to support the democratic

consolidation of a sister country.

We believe, therefore, that it is a political imperative

to strengthen multilateralism in three fundamental

ways. The first is by enhancing the Secretary-General’s

ability to take initiatives. In the context of the functions

envisaged in the Charter, it is essential to continue

support for the political leadership of the Secretary-

General to take preventive action and respond to urgent

situations that jeopardize the dignity of people and

international peace and security.

The second relates to fieldwork. The ability of the

system to take action in the field is a basic prerequisite

in order for the Organization to be relevant to people’s

demands and real problems. As the former Executive

Director of UN-Women, I had the privilege of seeing the

conviction, solidarity and dedication with which United

Nations staff help to promote the ideals, principles and

mandates of the system.

The third area of focus is development and

cooperation. The process of constructing a post-

2015 development agenda requires renewed efforts to

provide official development assistance and to promote

innovative financing mechanisms, encouraging

partnerships between countries, international bodies,

civil society and the private sector.

Chile is interested in a greater coordination of

initiatives and instruments to facilitate South-South

cooperation between middle-income countries while

seeking out ways in which their essential contribution

can be made effective. I would also like to note that

in Chile we have enacted legal provisions to open our

economy fully to imports from the 48 least developed

countries, without duties or quotas.

I would like to conclude by reiterating the irrevocable

commitments made by Chile’s successive democratic

Governments to the work of the United Nations. Those

commitments reflect universal principles and values, as

they promote the protection, dignity and fundamental

rights of all individuals and contribute to crisis

prevention, dialogue, reconciliation and post-conflict

management. Our convictions and efforts will always

be aimed at enhancing the legitimacy of collective

action to meet people’s concerns and demands. We

believe that, with an effective and real effort on the

part of the international community, we will be able

to deal successfully with exceptional crises and, first

and foremost, build a world in which all inhabitants live

together in peace and dignity.