Panama, 2025

The Assembly will hear an address by His Excellency José Romulino Quintero, President of the Republic of Panama. I request protocol to escort His Excellency and invite him to address the Assembly. Very good morning, Madam President, Distinguished Heads of State and Government, Honourable Delegates, On behalf of the Panamanian people, with profound respect and renewed hope, I appear before this Honourable Assembly on the 80th anniversary of this organisation, which remains a beacon for peace, cooperation and progress. Panama has been committed since the signing of the Charter of San Francisco in 1945 to peace-building, security, sustainable development and human rights. Over these eight decades, our country has championed multilateral diplomacy and public international law as a cornerstone of our foreign policy. The UN80 initiative, presented by the Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, offers an opportunity to reflect on the past, to raise awareness of present threats and to envision a fairer future. We firmly believe that today, more than ever, we must strengthen the value of multilateralism to respond to global challenges and crises as a tool to mitigate asymmetries among nations. In this regard, I wish to highlight that multilateral policy contributed to our country's removal, for instance, from discriminatory lists imposed by the European Union and the Financial Action Task Force. Since it does not make sense to be a member of the Security Council of this organisation while at the same time appearing on lists alongside countries that promote terrorism, we believe it is the right time to undertake a comprehensive reform to make the Security Council more effective, to make the General Assembly more representative, to make specialised agencies more inclusive and, above all, to reduce bureaucracy. Panama, just like other countries, calls for greater representation of Latin America and the Caribbean in decision-making bodies. The time has come to update the architecture of multilateral governance. Our region is the world's leading exporter of food. It is home to a strategic canal linking the Atlantic and the Pacific, and it holds more than 50% of the planet's biodiversity. We are major suppliers of minerals. We possess the largest freshwater reserves. We live together in peace, and we strive to preserve this. All of these elements make us a key global actor, and we must ensure that our representation reflects our role and our global significance. In line with our mission to contain and prevent the tragic outcome of a global war, which was its fundamental raison d'être, the United Nations is also facing a challenge of promoting urgent action to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. Today, the world is facing a trifecta of devastating crises, climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss, all against a backdrop of weakened cooperation. The response to these crises must be swift and united. In response, Panama has put forward its Nature Pledge, which is our pact with nature. This is a new way of understanding environmental and climate policy, integrating our obligations on climate, biodiversity and land into a single national commitment. In practice, Panama is pledging to curb its emissions by 2035. Even as a carbon-negative country, we believe there's always room to take further steps towards sustainability for future generations. To this end, we will be restoring 100,000 hectares of priority ecosystems, including mangroves and water basins, because nature, we think, is our front line of defense against climate change. Panama trusts in a renewed United Nations, one that strengthens digital security and international cooperation with ethical and inclusive principles. Ethical and inclusive principles that supports just energy transitions and one that upholds freedom of expression. In this spirit, we reaffirm our unwavering respect for freedom and democracy in our region, which continues to suffer from instability at the hands of those who disregard the popular will expressed through the ballot box or who simply do not permit open and transparent elections. We aspire to be a member of the United Nations that is capable of preventing conflicts before they arise, that can better respond promptly to humanitarian emergencies, that better coordinates its field agencies, and that more faithfully represents the diversity of peoples across the globe. Panama has offered to host offices of United Nations system organizations to support reform efforts under the UN80 initiative. I also wish today to express my solidarity with the Japanese people. This on the occasion of the 23rd anniversary of North Korea's admission of its abduction of at least 17 Japanese nationals. The world needs to know the truth so that these events are never repeated and Japan deserves justice. Ladies and gentlemen, I cannot let this opportunity pass without highlighting that we have now completed a quarter century since our canal was transferred into Panamanian hands. As of the 31st of December 1999, the Republic of Panama took up the works and operations of the canal efficiently, safely, sustainably and neutrally, this in accordance with the Panama Canal Treaty, Torrijos Carta Treaty and the Permanent Neutrality Treaty, which were both signed in 1977. Since then, we have administered the waterway in exemplary fashion, contributed to the country's economic development and operated the canal for the benefit of international navigation. Over this period, Panama expanded the inter-oceanic route using our own resources to meet the demand of larger vessels. Now we are taking another step forward. We are supporting the Panama Canal Authority in the development of the Rio Indio Reservoir. This is an ambitious project to ensure water supply for our population and the canal, so that vessel traffic is not threatened by recurring droughts in our region. Our waterway serves more than 180 maritime routes and more than 140 nations, and approximately 4% of global trade passes through it. We are committed to ensuring efficiency in support of international logistics. Before this Assembly, Panama once again reaffirms its serious and sustained commitment to the regime established under the Treaty concerning permanent neutrality, the protocol of which numerous states have adhered to. Neutrality is the best formula to safeguard the security of our canal, a global public good. The Panama Canal is neutral, open to the world and a facilitator of more integrated international trade. It is and shall remain Panamanian. Ladies and gentlemen, Panama, as you know, holds a non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council for the 2025-2026 term. This past August, we held the rotating presidency of the Security Council. We viewed this role as a responsibility to maintain a strong voice in favour of peace, sovereign equality of states, justice, international law and respect for agreements among nations. We have also stressed the importance of maritime security as a priority during our participation in the Council. Panama's national identity is closely linked to maritime transport. Over the centuries, we have consolidated our role as a key actor in navigation and international trade, piracy, arms and drugs trafficking and illegal fishing all affect trade and the global maritime transport system. As a transit nation and a logistics hub in our continent, Panama proposes to strengthen cooperation among specialized agencies, including through a regional network to promote maritime security. This would operate under the umbrella of ocean governance and in accordance with international law. I wish to reiterate before this Assembly the work that this organization needs to undertake to mitigate the effects of illegal migration driven by organizations that are either directly or indirectly linked to drugs trafficking. For years, millions of people have been passing through our Darien region, which is on our border with Colombia. And yet in just one year in office, we reduced the flow of migrants heading north to zero. That crisis was resolved, thus meeting the promise to shut down illegal crossings through the Darien. The humanitarian and environmental consequences were extreme. The suffering of women and children subjected to abuse and the pollution of one of the world's most biodiverse areas. These continue to cause pain to those of us who have had direct contact with the situation. Today we are seeing north-south migration on a much smaller scale, but which renews our commitment to the orderly transit of people so that they may return home. I must say that while the migratory crisis has been resolved, the causes of mass emigration remain unaddressed. The fact that our country has resolved this scourge doesn't mean that we should let up in our demands for concrete responses, such as in the case of the border between Haiti and the Dominican Republic, which is facing unchecked migration that also has an effect on the entire region. It's essential that we find clear solutions both for the Haitian crisis and, more generally, for effective control of migratory flows. We are currently suffering from the growth of another illegal activity, which is drug trafficking. Today it poses a threat to human lives and a grave risk of instability throughout the entire region due to the different cartels operating there. Just to give you a quick idea, this year alone, Panama has seized nearly 150 tons of cocaine and other drugs. This is an historic and alarming figure, one which compels us to step up our efforts to seek greater cooperation and to galvanize resources in a struggle that must be a common cause among all nations of the world. Honourable Members, Next year the Amphictyonic Congress of Panama, convened by the liberator Simón Bolívar, will celebrate its bicentenary. Its proposal was for an international system based on the sovereign equality of states, justice, law and international cooperation to achieve the people's common goals. We hope that this commemoration will serve as a new starting point for international cooperation, one that respects and elevates the values of sovereignty, peace and peaceful coexistence, values that must guide our work in this and other global fora. Honourable Members, Before this forum of global peace and international cooperation, I reiterate the faith of the Panamanian people in the United Nations system. At times of crisis, when the winds of unilateralism, polarisation and fragmentation are blowing, Panama will raise its voice in defence of multilateralism. Panama will remain an enthusiastic member of the United Nations, a defender of international law and a tireless proponent of global peace. Because, as this year's theme reminds us, we are stronger together. And only together can we build a fairer and more humane future for all. Thank you very much.