Paraguay, 2010

Mr. President, let me first convey on my own behalf

and on behalf of the Republic of Paraguay our wishes

for every success in your sensitive and important

function at the helm of the General Assembly at its

sixty-fifth session. I would also like to express my

delegation’s recognition of Mr. Ali Abdussalam Treki,

President of the Assembly at the sixty-fourth session,

for the significant achievements made.

Paraguayan democracy has completed its

transition, begun 21 years ago, with the transfer of

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power from one political force to another in recent

elections held under international observation. In that

way we have consolidated a process of strengthening

public freedoms, thereby affirming that those freedoms

are fully guaranteed in my country today.

Paraguay comes to this general debate

reaffirming its importance and calling for progress in

strengthening the United Nations as the body capable

of representing the interests of all Member States in the

urgent quest for a fairer, more united and equitable

world, guaranteed by the full force of international law.

We are very pleased that some great Powers have

returned to the path of multilateralism, for some of the

problems that afflict mankind can be resolved only

with the involvement of every State. It has been

demonstrated again that in the search for a better

civilization, the solution has not, cannot and will never

be found by a handful of nations. Thus the recent

financial crisis can be resolved satisfactorily only

through measures that are universal and taken with the

agreement of the great majority. Once again, it is the

General Assembly that will have to make its guiding

voice heard on this issue.

We also applaud the Secretary-General’s timely

decision to hold the High-level Meeting for review of

the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The

Republic of Paraguay believes that while achievements

have been made with regard to the MDGs, we cannot

avoid the fact that there are still inequalities all over

the world and millions continue to live in abject

poverty. The situation has been exacerbated by sudden

increases in food prices and the consequences of

climate change.

In Paraguay we are betting on the globalization of

democracy with social development. We are betting on

the universalization of security based on respect for

human rights as an unwavering commitment and on

dignifying human life. In that spirit we celebrate the

recent designation of a Paraguayan citizen as a member

of the Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of

Discrimination against Women. We appreciate the

support she received, which further strengthens our

commitment to ensuring the inclusion of women in all

areas of public life.

We would thus like to create a regional

community in the context of a global union that in

solidarity and together devotes its efforts to eradicating

hunger and abject poverty, cooperating effectively to

promote the participation of all in building sustainable

prosperity through quality education and the provision

of a social protection system that excludes no one.

The Republic of Paraguay reiterates its

commitment to prioritize the implementation of

programmes for economic development with social

justice. The national Government is approaching with

dedication the development and implementation of

social policies to address needs in this area, with

special emphasis on the most vulnerable and most

needy of our population. That effort at the national

level also requires international solidarity, enhanced

through the processes of regional and sovereign

integration of the people, as well as through a new

international financial architecture whose institutions

contribute to job creation and to fairer, more equitable

trade conditions among the world’s nations.

We note with great concern that many citizens of

our countries have had to migrate to other parts of the

world, particularly Europe and North America, in

search of new opportunities for happiness and personal

fulfilment. We take this occasion to show our solidarity

with the peoples who at this moment are suffering from

the consequences of mistaken discriminatory and

violent immigration policies, particularly as applied by

countries of the so-called first world.

Migration policy is not a domestic issue but

rather a question that must respect international human

rights norms and standards. Therefore we call on all

countries that receive migrants to deal in a spirit of

humanitarianism, fraternity and hospitality with all our

fellow citizens who today seek to share in the right to

work and to a life of dignity far from their respective

countries. We propose a deepening of dialogue on the

issue in international forums to highlight the human

dimension of migration processes and find a just and

equitable solution to that reality of globalization.

Full employment and decent work are universal

goals, and to reach them requires focusing national

efforts and improving international cooperation to

address macroeconomic and trade issues involved in

the solution to that problem. Bilateral and multilateral

institutions for development assistance should insist on

employment taking a place of prominence in their

policy decisions and implementation.

Disarmament, non-proliferation and arms control

are not only essential factors to ensure international

peace and security, but they also guarantee sustainable

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economic and social development for the most

vulnerable countries. Only through a sound multilateral

system with strict adherence to international law and

respect for the sovereignty and self-determination of

peoples can we guarantee our mutual security.

In that vein, we condemn coercive economic

measures that prevent countries from exercising their

sovereign right to choose their own political, economic

and social systems. We reject the unilateral application

of measures against the Republic of Cuba, and we

reiterate our support for the General Assembly

resolutions to put an end to the economic, commercial

and financial blockade against that nation. The

blockade against Cuba undermines the fundamental

norms of international law, the principles of sovereign

equality among States, non-intervention,

non-interference in domestic affairs, freedom of trade

and international navigation and the self-determination

of peoples, as enshrined in instruments of international

law.

We also demand that the Government of the

United States adopt necessary measures to put an end

to the irregular situation of five Cuban citizens who are

currently deprived of their liberty as they sit in United

States jails and who have denounced the violation of

their human rights.

The Republic of Paraguay reiterates its

commitment to international peace and security. In that

context we reaffirm our political will to increase our

contribution to peacekeeping missions and to continue

our efforts to train and equip forces in accordance with

the standards of this Organization, so as to

progressively increase our participation in those

operations.

My country is aware of the serious and complex

threats of climate change around the world. We have

watched with concern the growing negative effects of

irregular climate phenomena that produce drastic

consequences that contribute to increased poverty and

displacement of persons, among other irreparable

effects that must be urgently and uncompromisingly

addressed. We subscribe to the Declaration of the

Cochabamba summit on climate change and call for an

urgent, coordinated and responsible global response to

find ways to mitigate, lessen and reverse the tragic,

devastating consequences of climate change. Likewise,

we proclaim the sovereign rights of peoples over their

natural resources, interpreted in the broadest sense.

A new international financial architecture is

needed, one that seeks a system of fair trade and

efficient regulation mechanisms. We also need new

paradigms for integration that attack the root causes of

obstacles to integration, such as inequitable exchange

rates and the unequal conditions of international

relations, the weight of unpayable debt and the

imposition of structural changes that undermine the

bases of social and political assistance. We are

convinced that the United Nations, as a global

institution, should play a central role to guarantee the

success of our efforts to achieve better international

coordination and coherence in the economic and

financial spheres.

The issue of landlocked developing countries is

fundamental to Paraguay’s foreign policy. The

asymmetries and disadvantages created by and still

being created by that geographical situation can be

offset only to the extent that they are internationally

recognized and that there be special, individualized

treatment for such countries on the part of developed

economies on their integration into the globalized

world.

It is essential that the United Nations implement

the needed reforms with the goal of adapting its

structure to the current needs of global society. With

that desire for evolution, the Republic of Paraguay

supports the process of reform of the Organization so

as to strengthen the General Assembly and recover the

functions conferred on it by the Charter, as the most

representative organ of the Organization.

Paraguay has also been watching with great

interest the recent rounds of intergovernmental

negotiations about equitable representation on and

increasing the membership of the Security Council and

other related issues. We advocate full adherence to

multilateralism, the sovereign equality of States and

inviolable respect for the rule of law. Accordingly, we

need a Security Council that is more democratic, and

thus its expansion cannot be put off in order to make it

more equitable and inclusive.

As a contribution from Paraguay to promoting

respect and fraternity — values that strengthen any

organization made up of individuals and nations — we

have proposed to share with the world our tradition of

celebrating friendship. To that end, Paraguay has

presented to the United Nations a proposal to proclaim

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30 July as World Friendship Day, in order to renew

appreciation and recognition among our peoples.

Sixty-five years ago we said, “We the peoples of

the United Nations”, and Paraguay was among them.

Hence we reaffirm each and every precept enshrined in

the remarkable Preamble to our Charter. We will be at

the side of all, because we believe in the equality of

nations large and small, which will allow us

progressively to improve the conditions under which

justice can be maintained and thereby better the

standards of life in larger freedom. That is our

mandate. We are committed to fulfil it.