Mexico, 2003

Allow me at

the outset to express my pleasure at seeing in the

presidency of the General Assembly a representative of

the Group of Latin American and Caribbean States. I

would ask you, Sir, to extend my greetings to

Secretary-General Kofi Annan, along with our full

recognition of his leadership, which has given this

institution of ours a new impetus. I would also ask you

to convey to him and to the entire staff of the United

Nations our condolences over the death of Mr. Sergio

Vieira de Mello.

We live in a world of fragile and perilous

balances, the result of our collective inability to

achieve genuine peace and shared well-being in the

context of international legality. We are confronting

today an economic globalization that is triggering

imbalances to the detriment of developing countries,

particularly the poorest. We are also confronting a

globalization of violence, suffering the threats of

terrorism as well as the war against it, and international

organized crime that weakens public security and

jeopardizes world peace.

We share these problems along with the

responsibility to find a solution to them. No country,

large or small, can overcome alone either the

challenges of the present or those that will have to be

met successfully in the future. The attitude that will be

essential in the face of threats to international peace,

security and development is that of responsibility

shared among all nations.

Mexico knows that we, the peoples of the United

Nations, can together ensure that hunger, intolerance,

exclusion, crime and illegitimacy are banished once

and for all. Together, we can guarantee every

individual the right to live in human dignity and the

right of future generations to grow, develop and

contribute to the history of human civilization. In our

Millennium Declaration, we have an irreplaceable

guide on how to meet the challenges of the present and

the future.

Mexico has made significant progress in terms of

democracy, freedoms, gender equity, respect for

minority groups, health and education, and particularly

in reducing poverty and improving income distribution,

as reflected in the resolute and rapid advances we have

made towards the attainment of the Millennium

Development Goals. We have come one third of the

way towards achieving those goals in the past two

years alone and we shall have essentially attained them

by 2010, well before the target date of 2015.

Though Mexican men and women will not be

satisfied merely by achieving those goals, we know we

are on the right track. Now is the time not for us to

shrink from challenges, but rather to be hopeful about

our joint labours and our work as a team. We feel the

same about the international situation as we do about

the national context.

Convinced therefore of the validity, usefulness

and relevance of our Organization, Mexico appeals

from this supreme global forum for shared international

responsibility. This Assembly, the most representative

body of humankind, is the most appropriate forum in

which to call for collective action. Here the major

international problems have been discussed, and here

dialogue has been made the cornerstone of the effort to

find solutions. Here, therefore, we must focus our

efforts on achieving shared peace, security and

development.

21

This is the first general debate of our Assembly

since the Iraq war. Our Organization is at a critical and

crucial juncture. The attacks on the United Nations in

Baghdad have harmed our Organization and hurt us all.

An attack on the United Nations is an attack on all its

Members. The events in Iraq sparked a debate that

ranks among the most far-reaching in the life of the

United Nations. As a non-permanent member of the

Security Council and, above all, assuming its

responsibility as a member of the world community,

Mexico has been faithful to the principle of seeking the

pacific settlement of disputes, in accordance with the

principles of the United Nations Charter.

We have been actively and constructively

involved in negotiating resolutions and are convinced

that they will lead to the swift restoration of full

sovereignty and independence for the Iraqi people. One

of the top priorities of our Organization is to give

impetus to the process of restoring sovereignty,

resulting in the establishment of a representative

Government for Iraqi men and women.

The debate over the issue of Iraq requires us to

act upon our commitments and change the way we

think about when the use of force is legitimate, in

accordance with the Charter. It is vitally important that

we review States’ commitments to abide by

international law and the existing machinery to ensure

compliance with Security Council resolutions. The

agreements reached and reforms achieved will greatly

and profoundly determine the future effectiveness of

the United Nations and proper functioning of the

collective decision-making processes that underpin the

multilateral approach.

Above and beyond Iraq, the world is closely

following many other major challenges. As we have

noted today, the unfinished job of peace-making in the

Middle East, Afghanistan, Africa and the Balkans

implies new threats and challenges to international

security. A particular source of concern is the increase

in tensions in Asia, in light of the development of

weapons of mass destruction.

We have always been a nation committed to

peace, convinced that dialogue, negotiation and the law

are effective conflict-resolution instruments. Today, we

reaffirm that it is time to give special emphasis to

diplomatic action and to work together to meet

common challenges. In view of the world’s present

potential for destruction, it is time for us to ensure that

diplomacy and negotiation get priority attention with

regard to international disputes. Reaffirming the

principles and values that govern our actions on the

international scene, Mexico is appealing for peace and

global cooperation so that, together, we can effectively

foster international peace, security and development.

History teaches us that, unless great economic

and social disparities, injustice, discrimination,

intolerance and lack of international cooperation are

addressed, we will continue to endure current threats

such as terrorism. Mexico is unequivocally committed

to combating terrorism. Combating it effectively

requires not only better and more intense international

cooperation but also new approaches to international

legality. The fight against terrorism will not be

effective without a new recognition of international law

and a United Nations system that has sufficient

capacity to ensure compliance with it.

We must confront this and other challenges by

adopting a holistic view of our responsibility for

maintaining and restoring peace in the world today,

while tackling the structural causes of conflicts. To

meet those challenges will require sustained conflict-

prevention capacity, the mobilization of political will

and a strategically targeted commitment of resources.

Such a perspective can be contributed only by

this universal Organization, the only such body with

the legitimacy, experience, capacity to convene peoples

and the moral force to concert our efforts for the sake

of peace and universal well-being. The response to the

global challenges facing us requires a robust political

effort on the part of all nations — an effort that is

possible solely from within these halls.

As a nation that has always done its utmost to

attain the noble objectives of the United Nations and

convinced of the relevance of the principles and values

that gave rise to this Organization, Mexico renews its

firm commitment to the United Nations and its ideals.

Security cannot be built based on barriers or

ignorance. True security and lasting peace among

nations is based on mutual understanding and a

demonstrated belief in equal treatment for all

nations — ideals that have developed over time within

this Organization.

The relevance of this Organization is undeniable.

Mexico reaffirms its confidence in multilateral

arrangements. We have associated ourselves with the

22

appeal by the Secretary-General to put forward

innovative ideas and approaches geared towards

reforming the United Nations. We agree with the

Secretary-General’s view that the international system

is in crisis and with his appeal for fundamental reform

of the United Nations. Members can rest assured that

Mexico will make every diplomatic effort to reform

and update our Organization, which the international

situation necessitates. Mexico considers that real

reform must be based on five specific guidelines.

The first is to strengthen our collective security

system to ensure rapid responses to crises and

transparent collective decision-making. The second is

to guarantee support for economic and social

development of States, particularly for the least-

developed. The third is to guarantee respect for the

sovereignty and independence of States while assuring

at the same time the legitimacy and legality of

international efforts to combat impunity. The fourth is

to promote and protect human rights. The fifth is to

increase the effectiveness of decision-making.

We must revitalize the commitment that States

and nations make to observing universal norms.

Reforms must concentrate on the performance of our

multilateral system. The work of the Security Council

demonstrates this need. Without question, debate over

its composition involves the need to make it more

representative and thus increase its legitimacy.

Although the central issue is the functioning of the

Security Council and respect for its resolutions, the

discussions of the past decade have focused on

expanding the membership and selecting new

permanent members.

There is little worth in considering a Council with

a larger membership if the resolutions that it issues are

not respected or if they lack a common interpretation

of the scope of their provisions. We must ensure the

right kind of representativeness, limit and regulate the

right of veto and call for greater transparency and for

creating a more balanced relationship with the other

organs of the United Nations system, particularly the

General Assembly.

We must ensure that the Council does not exceed

its competencies or shirk its responsibilities. Let us

think democratically. Let us seek a balance between the

main organs of the United Nations. Let us dare to

achieve a reform of the General Assembly that will

include safeguarding its quality as a universal,

parliamentary forum, without abandoning its ability for

decision-making and acting in a timely manner. Let us

think of a new type of collective security system that is

effective and balanced, which would function under the

guidance of our democratic body par excellence — the

General Assembly.

Inertia has caused each main organ of our

Organization to act in a manner that is removed from

the main purposes and objectives of the United

Nations. The development agenda must be better linked

to conflict prevention and peace-building activities

must include mechanisms to ensure economic and

social development. For that reason, we must also think

about how to strengthen the Economic and Social

Council and about whether we can and should turn it

into an economic and social security council.

Mexico believes that reform should bring the

United Nations into line with the requirements of an

ever-changing world, in order to help us to overcome

the existing gaps and fresh challenges. Today, faithful

to the principles, values and ideals of our Organization,

we have the obligation to build a new international

architecture, which, with a vision for the future, leaves

fratricidal conflicts and struggles behind, opens new

avenues of understanding and international cooperation

and forges new paths towards peace, international

security and development.