Mexico, 2013

On behalf of President Enrique Peña Nieto,

it is an honour for me to address the plenary of this

Organization, a symbol of universal values and of the

best causes of humankind.

On behalf of the people and Government of Mexico,

I thank the international community for the generous

expressions of solidarity and support following the

weather-related events in my country. They contribute

to the work of the Government and to the fraternal

participation of civil society in providing assistance to

those affected.

Over the past two weeks, Mexico has suffered the

unprecedented simultaneous arrival of two hurricanes,

Ingrid and Manuel, one on the Pacific coast and the

other on the Atlantic coast. Over the past few decades,

Mexico has worked hard to bolster its capability to

prevent and respond to natural disasters. However,

the increased vulnerability we face in the world

underscores the need and urgency for action. That is

why we welcome the Secretary-General’s decision to

convene a summit in September 2014 to address the

impact of climate change. Mexico will participate

enthusiastically and will continue to contribute to the

implementation of the agreements reached in 2010 at

Cancún.

I join in the international community’s unanimous

condemnation of the unspeakable attacks against

civilians in Nairobi. Mexico expresses its solidarity

to the Government and people of Kenya, as well as

our condolences to relatives of the victims. Such

unfortunate acts constitute an affront to peace and

clearly demonstrate the need for us to remain vigilant

in the fight against terrorism. We also join those who

have expressed their condolences to the Government

and people of Pakistan following the recent earthquake.

My countrty believes in multilateralism and

reiterates its unflinching commitment to the

Organization. We support the diplomatic initiatives

aimed at finding a peaceful political solution to the

crisis in Syria, in particular the agreement reached by

the United States and Russia on eliminating chemical

weapons in that country.

The prohibition of the use or threat of use of

chemical weapons is absolute. The events of 21 August

outside Damascus are unacceptable. The dismantling

and destruction of the Syrian arsenals, under the

auspices of the Organization for the Prohibition of

Chemical Weapons and the Security Council, must be

immediate and unconditional. There can be no room

for dilatory tactics or blackmail. Mexico supports the

convening of the “Geneva II” international conference

on Syria as soon as possible, with the goal of achieving

lasting peace there.

The challenges we face today compel us to seek

a Security Council that is truly representative of the

international community, without positions of privilege

reserved for a few; a Council that is transparent and

accountable; and a Council that acknowledges that a

veto does not work in situations involving genocide,

war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Mexico believes that disarmament should continue

to be one of the key goals of the United Nations. In

keeping with my country’s longstanding contributions

to the cause of disarmament, in February 2014 in

Nayarit, on Mexico’s Pacific coast, we will host the

second Conference on the Humanitarian Impact of

Nuclear Weapons.

Human security is also affected by the irresponsible

use of, and illicit trafficking in, conventional weapons.

Mexico therefore welcomes the adoption of the Arms

Trade Treaty. Demonstrating great vision, the Mexican

Senate has approved the Treaty, and I deposited our

instrument of ratification yesterday. We will comply

with it immediately, even before its entry into force

worldwide. Mexico calls on all States to ratify the

Treaty, which is a testament to the Organization’s ability

to achieve common solutions to shared challenges. I

also hope that the United Nations will show the same

willingness to take on the fight against sexual violence

as a weapon in conflict situations.

Mexico is also acting responsibly in dealing

with the global drug problem. Like Chile, Colombia

and others, Mexico believes we should evaluate

internationally agreed policies in the search for more

effective responses based on a focus on health and

a framework of respect for human rights and from a

perspective of damage control. The goal must be the

well-being of society in all its aspects.

Along with Costa Rica, Paraguay and others, we

believe we should give priority to prevention so as

to reduce the impact on health and, in particular, the

violence associated with drug problems. Similarly, it

would be helpful to strengthen international cooperation

so as to reduce the illegal flows of arms and money that

fuel criminal networks.

Along with Guatemala and others, we believe the

new global strategy should be based on an open and

inclusive debate leading up to the special session of the

General Assembly scheduled for 2016. We welcome the

Antigua Declaration issued at the General Assembly of

the Organization of American States as a first step in

the right direction towards the 2016 special session.

The fight against organized crime must always

respect the rule of law and human rights. When there is

a risk or merely a possibility that the right to privacy of

any citizen might be infringed by any Government, we

have demanded that it be investigated and the parties

responsible held accountable. In Mexico, the protection

of personal data is a human right guaranteed by the

Constitution.

Mexico believes firmly in free trade and in

building mechanisms that promote the free circulation

of people, goods and capital. That is why we and Chile,

Colombia and Peru formed the Pacific Alliance, which

is organized in a spirit of openness and plurality, as

the heterogeneity of its members with observer status

reflects. Our only goal is for the Pacific Alliance

to be an inclusive, useful tool for the promotion of

prosperity for the citizens of our nations. That is also

the spirit behind our work this year in the Association

of Caribbean States.

During this session of the Assembly we will

begin the process of evaluating our achievement of

the Millennium Development Goals and outlining

a road map for the post-2015 agenda. The success

of the Millennium Development Goals is rooted in

focusing the actions of the international community

on clear and ambitious targets. Despite that, it is

important to acknowledge that painful inequality and

a lack of participation and access to development still

persist among the most vulnerable groups in highly

industrialized countries, as well as developing ones.

Poverty, inequality and social exclusion exacerbate

conflicts and help to undermine the rule of law. The

development agenda must be based on a commitment

to inclusion. Policies that bring together mechanisms

promoting development and openness to innovation,

coupled with political determination on the part of the

international community, will enable us to advance

towards a world with opportunities for all.

Inclusion should be a central premise in the

negotiations on the post-2015 development agenda,

thus ensuring not only a narrowing of the poverty and

inequality gaps but also active participation by society’s

most vulnerable groups. That is why we will convene

a meeting in Mexico to promote a global perspective

on inclusion, in which Governments, civil society and

United Nations agencies, funds and programmes will

participate with the aim of defining the parameters of

inclusion and its impact on development policies, so

we can establish minimum thresholds for inclusion to

which every human being is entitled. In that context, we

acknowledge the high-level events being held within the

framework of this session of the General Assembly — on

persons with disabilities and on international migration

and development. Full observance of the rights of such

groups is an essential component of the post-2015

development agenda.

Mexico is a multi-ethnic and multicultural nation

that is proud of its 68 indigenous peoples. That is why

we attach such importance to the World Conference on

Indigenous Peoples,to be held in 2014, for which great

event we will host a preparatory meeting.

Our experience shows that to achieve the goal

of inclusion, we must consider every dimension of

poverty — lack of income and financial inclusion,

nutrition, health, education, housing and basic services.

Both through our national crusade against hunger

and as a member of the Group of 20, Mexico has

sought to place such deficiencies at the centre of the

debate. The innovative feature of our national crusade

against hunger lies in its focus on a multidimensional

measurement of poverty and in the fact that it seeks

to overcome the deficiencies thus measured in order to

arrive at sustainable and structural ways of mitigating

the conditions that lead to hunger.

In the spirit of moving Mexico forward, we are

undertaking transformative reforms for increasing

access to quality education, telecommunication, the

financial system and social security. Strengthening

international support will be crucial to implementing

the post-2015 development agenda. We must meet

the international commitments on financing for

development agreed on under the Monterrey Consensus

and achieve coordinated, transparent cooperation

with clear goals. That is why Mexico will host the

first High-level Meeting of the Global Partnership for

Effective Development Cooperation next year. Central

to the agenda for that forum will be the mobilization of

domestic resources for development. Mexico therefore

agrees with all measures that help prevent the erosion

of our tax base and its migration to jurisdictions with

low or no taxes.

Today the world is coming closer together, because

we have a greater global awareness. We are all affected

by the suffering and challenges of other nations,

wherever we are. Let us capitalize on that awareness in

order to include those who are excluded and to extend

a hand to those who have not had our opportunities.

Let us do what is necessary to make our world a place

where greater equality is a reality.

President Enrique Peña Nieto wishes to leave no

doubt as to his and Mexico’s commitment to a peaceful

world, a world in which the best causes of humankind

make headway, an inclusive world in which inequalities

are reduced and extreme poverty is eradicated and a

world in which economic growth produces prosperity

for all. From this rostrum, Mexico declares its firmly

held belief in its global responsibilities.