Panama, 2014

At the outset, I wish to congratulate Mr. Sam Kutesa,

Minister for Foreign Affairs of Uganda, on his election

as President of the General Assembly at its sixty-ninth

session.

I am from a region that, in my youth, lived through

challenging conflicts. That inspired me to go into

public life, which in turn has allowed me to address

the General Assembly in my capacity as President of

the Republic of Panama at a time when the world is

enduring conflicts and very serious situations that call

for all of us to take action. I am speaking on behalf

of a noble, wholesome and peaceful people, whom I

greet and warmly embrace from this rostrum. Panama

is a peace-loving country that has granted me the

opportunity to lead a Government that is steering our

country to a foreign policy of unity and consensus,

based on our geographic location and the mandate of

being a champion of peace and the common good of all

the inhabitants of this beautiful planet.

Despite the serious conflicts raging throughout the

world today, America is at peace. The major challenges

we face today are inequality, the fight against organized

crime and drug and human trafficking, and the need

to regulate migration flowing out of necessity into

countries with more developed economies. Those

challenges are being addressed by our Governments, but

they require further coordination. As leaders, we must

understand that in order to achieve and maintain peace

throughout the world, we must first lead our nations

along the same path. This is why I am committed to

social justice, to strengthening the rule of law, and to

leading an honest, humane Government that is in touch

with the people and whose strength is based on the

principle that public office is solely for the service of

others, putting our country’s resources at the service of

the people of Panama, the region and the world.

Fourteen years ago, the Heads of State and of

Government of the international community gathered

in the General Assembly to approve the Millennium

Declaration (resolution 55/2), which defined a global

development agenda to address various common

challenges and improve the standards of living of our

peoples. Despite their differences of the time, countries

were able to agree and to reach a consensus to respect the

priorities of each nation, focusing on the achievement

of fundamental goals aimed at guaranteeing the human

potential of our citizens.

Today, nearly a decade and a half after that

historic Declaration, all countries without exception,

through different Governments, have made important

progress in meeting the Millennium Development

Goals (MDGs). Nonetheless, not only have many of

the challenges defined in the MDGs not been met,

but new ones have arisen that require us to build a

new consensus and to establish goals at the regional,

hemispheric and global levels. That is why, on behalf

of the people and the Government of Panama, I would

like to reiterate our commitment to being a facilitator

of dialogue that allows for bringing the international

community together anew so that we may redefine the

post-2015 global development agenda.

For the past five centuries, the isthmus of Panama

has been the transit route of civilizations. Today, our

country is still committed to that role. This year, as we

mark the centennial of the Panama Canal, we reiterate

our commitment to being a nation at the service of the

international community, with the Canal, our logistic

system, ports, airports and our heartfelt embrace of all

countries of the world.

As they do in this building, the United Nations

Headquarters, all the worlds’ flags come together

in the Panama Canal, and that is a source of pride

and satisfaction for all Panamanians. It makes us

a country of convergence, and we therefore have a

great responsibility to the Panamanian people and

the international community. Furthermore, Panama

has assumed the challenge of completing the Canal

expansion project, which we will do with firmness,

determination and the support of professionals and

workers from Panama and various other nations.

Panamanians feel a great responsibility to

contributing to the search for understanding in order to

maintain social peace, promote international security

and join efforts towards the solution of common

problems that affect us. That is why we reaffirm today

our vocation as a country of dialogue, ready to fulfil the

responsibility of uniting the Americas and the world

within the framework of the United Nations and in every

opportunity we have to mediate in disputes that hinder

us from reaching agreements towards tackling the new

global challenges. In April 2015, our country will host

the Summit of the Americas, and we are working on

this event that will bring together all the Heads of State

and Government of our hemisphere in order to promote

integration and social peace with equity and prosperity.

The 193 countries of the world have different

political systems, beliefs, religions and cultures that

must be respected. In spite of those differences, we

all face common challenges. That is why, in order to

secure the well-being of our citizens, our Governments

are called to find unity of criteria for strengthening

multilateral systems, which must be engaged with all

the strength of States in order to combat shared threats

and problems.

Within conflicts and difficult situations at the global

level, there are strong messages of hope — volunteer

medical doctors from all over the world are making

progress to fight Ebola in Africa, and several countries

are united in the fight against terrorists whose atrocious

crimes affect innocent people and threaten international

peace and security. Panama is aware of those efforts

and supports them. We express our solidarity with all

victims and their families.

I am convinced that the men and women we elect

to public office must serve only the people who elected

us and manage public power temporarily granted to us

with the purpose of improving the quality of life of our

population. Politics is one of the strongest expressions

of public service because it is the search for the common

good. The greatest legacy, which I will strive to build

during the next five years, is to leave the Panamanian

people a functional democracy, to strengthen the rule

of law, where public servants are accountable only to

the nation, with strong institutions, accountability and

without impunity, with a view to guaranteeing that

public administrations are honest and transparent. All

Governments have the obligation to ensure that State

resources are used exclusively in the service of our

citizens, and that all public works and projects have the

people’s interests in mind.

Committed to that mission and to the achievement of

the Millennium Development Goals, I became President

of my country on 1 July and formed a Government that

will continue to foster the economic growth enjoyed

by Panama, while giving priority to public investment

that has greater impact on the quality of life of all

Panamanians. With an average domestic economic

growth of 7 per cent, increasing foreign investment,

legal security, low inflation and unemployment rates,

and a consolidated democratic system, we are making

good on the proposals for which I was elected.

During our mandate, we have taken strong measures

to curb speculation in the cost of food. We are working

to ensure that Panamanian families have adequate

housing with access to drinking water, basic sanitation,

water supply, sewage systems and treatment plants for

waste water and solid waste. We have launched major

social projects for our youth so that they grow up in safe

neighbourhoods with better opportunities, jobs, sports

facilities and cultural centres to keep them away from

crime.

Our public schools will have adequate facilities

and teachers trained in the English language, in order

to promote a bilingual education. Our social welfare

programmes will allow all students to finish high school

and senior citizens to live with dignity. Our students

will have the opportunity to go to college or study at

newly established higher technical institutes that will

prepare them for the new jobs that our economy is

creating in the areas of logistics and tourism, inter alia.

Our public health system will be unified, and the

resulting savings will be used to strengthen preventive

health programmes, ensuring better medical care, and

premium quality treatments and medication. We are

building a modern and efficient public transportation

system with the new projects to add second and third

lines to the Metro of Panama City, thereby improving

the quality of life of our people. We will develop tourism

and support air connectivity to and from principal

cities in the United States, Canada, Latin America, the

Caribbean and Europe. We will protect our logistical

and financial systems to prevent organized crime and

gangs from gaining access to them, and we shall tackle

organized crime and gangs with the full force of the

State in order to defeat them and keep them away from

our youth and our neighbourhoods.

Our Government will work tirelessly to prepare our

young people to be responsible citizens of the world

and care for our natural resources in order to ensure

sustainable development. We will work closely with the

private sector and civil society in order to fulfil those

national goals, the Millennium Development Goals and

the new challenges of the global agenda.

We live in a diverse world, with different cultures,

religions and political systems, but we can always find

common ground in the well-being of our citizens. That

was the approach that led to the successful adoption

of the Millennium Declaration, and it will be the key

to defining and fulfilling the post-2015 development

agenda.

Panama is a country that is respectful of others and

willing to serve as a bridge to understanding, on the

basis of respect for diversity, tolerance, pluralism and

human rights. Above all, the Assembly can be assured

that Panama’s Government is a Government of men and

women who respect the law and are willing to share

experiences, learn from best practices and contribute

to global peace, socio-economic development and the

well-being of all peoples.

I would like to conclude by sharing a statement that

has been with me since my youth: “The time has come

to put our capacity to use in service of others.” May

God give us the strength to continue to build together a

better world for our citizens and for future generations.