Paraguay, 2014

At the outset, allow me, on behalf of the Republic of

Paraguay, to offer you, Mr. President, our best wishes

for success in your delicate and important tasks at the

helm of the General Assembly at its sixty-ninth session.

I also wish to express my delegation’s appreciation to

Mr. John Ashe, President of the General Assembly at its

sixty-eighth session, for his significant achievements.

The Government of Paraguay is attending the

general debate to reaffirm the importance and call for

the strengthening of the United Nations as a forum

capable of representing the interests of all Member

States in our urgent search for a more just, united

and equitable world, guaranteed by the full force of

international law. At the same time, and as we approach

the seventieth year since the creation of the most

important debating forum in the history of humankind,

we believe it right to recall that our Organization, the

United Nations, was created precisely as a forum for

peace among peace-loving nations, as expressed at the

various international conferences that led to its creation.

That reminder seems even timely and relevant to us,

since the concept of peace is now more necessary than

ever in various parts of the world such as the Middle

East and the Black Sea region.

The Republic of Paraguay reiterates its commitment

to ensuring that all social issues are addressed. In that

regard, the Government of President Horacio Manuel

Cartes Jara is dealing decisively with the development,

execution and implementation of social policies that

address various demands, with special emphasis on

the needs of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged

sectors of our population, including the elderly, the

rural population, indigenous communities, migrants,

children, adolescents and women. We have an obligation

to enable members of those groups to be included as

full citizens.

In that regard, I would make a special reference to

the World Conference of Indigenous Peoples, held at

Headquarters a few days ago, which was convened to

listen to the true thoughts and feelings of our native

and indigenous peoples. Indigenous cultural heritage

has been and remains one of the key elements shaping

Paraguay’s cultural identity and has led to miscegenation

as the main social factor unifying the native Guarani

population and the European conquerors. Our country

is proud of the linguistic, cultural and political character

of Paraguay, which boasts the native Guarani language

of our ancestors as its everyday language.

In line with the efforts made by the Government

since it took office in August 2013, we believe solidarity

and partnership is necessary among countries, whether

developing or developed, and international financing

institutions. We also take into account the fact that,

often, vulnerability stems from other areas, such as a

lack of decent jobs, educational opportunities, access to

international markets and timely cooperation and from

issues for which responsibility does not lie exclusively

with the State but also with the private sector, as it

generates wealth and decent employment. In that

regard, we call on the United Nations bodies that work

for cooperation to further strengthen their presence

in Paraguay and support national policies aimed at

strengthening democracy and social justice.

For the first time since its inception nearly a decade

ago, my country is aspiring to secure a seat on the

Human Rights Council for the 2015-2017 period. For the

Republic of Paraguay, the protection and promotion of

human rights are the foundation for effective democracy.

They are fundamental values that are enshrined and

guaranteed in our Constitution, which expressly

states that international human rights treaties cannot

be rejected except through the procedures governing

amendments to our Constitution. On the basis of those

constitutional assurances and commitments, we are

confident that we can play more than a constructive

role and thus consolidate the actions of the Council to

effectively strengthen the promotion and protection of

human rights around the world.

Paraguay, in accordance with its Government’s

policy, will continue to continuously support and

follow issues in the United Nations relating to the

promotion of youth participation in social and economic

development, persons with disabilities, migrant

workers, the elimination of violence against women,

the rights of the child, the elimination of discrimination

on the basis of religious beliefs and the protection of

human rights and their relation to extreme poverty.

In Paraguay, we support the globalization of

democracy through social development. We also believe

in universal security based on respect for human rights

as an unwavering commitment to the dignity of human

life. We therefore hope to build a regional and global

community that, hand in hand and in solidarity, devotes

its efforts to eradicating hunger and poverty, effectively

cooperating to promote the participation of all, in

prosperity, through quality education and a system of

inclusive social protection.

As a sign of Paraguay’s desire to respond to the

changing times, our President recently promulgated the

Law on Free Access by Citizens to Public Information

and Government Transparency as an important tool

enabling every citizen to act as comptroller of public

expenditures. The Law, which was recently adopted,

states that all institutions must disseminate information

as widely as possible. The Law also guarantees access

by every citizen to all public information.

We in Paraguay believe that the concept of

development should include, as a sine qua non, the

principle of social inclusion. The major challenge of

achieving development that overcomes asymmetries

leads inevitably to efforts promoting and achieving

an optimal quality of life for all our citizens without

exception. We must give a human face to our growth.

Our citizens deserve, and have the right to, a more

dignified life and overall well-being.

We are currently working to establish a post-2015

development agenda that is sustainable and has a focus

on poverty, education, health and social inclusion. We

have learned that the Millennium Development Goals

have been and are important but not sufficient, and

that humankind should be the focus of policy. In that

context, we believe that, for the post-2015 development

agenda to be successful, it must be accompanied by a

better distribution of international financial resources.

Paraguay needs international cooperation that

is aligned with its socioeconomic priorities, the

development and strengthening of its institutions and

preferential treatment for its most vulnerable sectors.

We hope that the opening of developing countries

helps bridge inequalities and that the same restrictions

that the more developed economies are demanding

in the process of their own development will not

be applied. Paraguay’s position, like that of many

developing countries, is that South-South cooperation

is not a substitute for but a complement to North-South

cooperation and triangular cooperation. We believe

that the United Nations, as the universal forum, should

play a central role in ensuring success in our efforts to

achieve better international coordination and coherence

in the economic and financial spheres.

As the high-level Climate Summit was also held a

few days ago here at Headquarters in New York, we

believe it is necessary to recall that Paraguay is aware

that climate change poses a serious and complex threat

to the world, as highlighted by the growing negative

impacts we are experiencing due to the resulting

droughts, floods and other adverse phenomena, which

spread poverty, cause forced displacements and may

affect international peace and security.

This situation urgently requires a coordinated and

responsible global response in order to find ways to

mitigate, alleviate and reverse climate change’s tragic

and devastating consequences. In addition, Paraguay

supports the principle of common but differentiated

responsibilities, on the basis of which countries that

have contributed more to the historical and current

levels of pollution must shoulder correspondingly

greater responsibilities. That principle should be used

as an objective criterion, and its implementation will

contribute to efforts to mitigate the global impact of

climate change.

The issue of landlocked developing countries is

of fundamental importance for Paraguay’s foreign

policy. The asymmetries and disadvantages that that

geographical situation brings about will be offset only

if there is international recognition of the need for a

special and differential agreement on the country’s

integration into the globalized world. Paraguay, along

with other landlocked developing countries in the world,

of which there are over 30, faces difficulties in terms of

open access to international markets, mainly owing to

the restrictions on free transit through transit countries

and the lack of special and differential treatment,

which would allow them to engage in greater and more

competitive participation in world markets.

This year is particularly important for us because

in November the second United Nations Conference on

Landlocked Developing Countries, to be held in Vienna,

will review the Almaty Programme of Action. While

the condition of being a landlocked developing country

is a disadvantage for Paraguay, we are convinced that

we can overcome that adversity. We are working so

that our territory can become, in the very near future, a

favourable environment for integration and productive

communication between the two major oceans, the

Atlantic and the Pacific. The new programme of action

to be adopted at the Vienna Conference should be the

framework for mutually beneficial cooperation between

landlocked developing countries and transit countries.

Disarmament, non-proliferation and arms control

are not just key factors to ensure international peace and

security, but also guarantee that the most vulnerable

countries can achieve sustained socioeconomic

development. Only by securing a strong multilateral

system with strict respect for the rule of law at the

international and national levels can we ensure our

mutual security. We are convinced that universal

and binding international instruments in the area of

disarmament and the Arms Trade Treaty, which will

enter into force in the near future, will help improve the

effectiveness of existing regional initiatives to prevent

irresponsible actors from gaining access to weapons.

Again, we urge Israel and Palestine to lay

the foundation for social, political and economic

reconstruction, which should enable both peoples

to live in peace and harmony. Today more than ever,

we must promote the negotiation process between the

parties, which can lead to lasting peace so that Israel

and Palestine can live side by side with secure borders

and in peace.

I also wish to note that Paraguay recognizes

and welcomes the participation and contributions

of the Republic of China (Taiwan) to United Nations

specialized agencies, thanks to a rapprochement

between the two parties of the Taiwan Strait. In a

world beset by conflicts, my Government welcomes

the efforts made by the Republic of China (Taiwan)

to reduce tensions across the Taiwan Strait, which

have contributed significantly to ensuring peace and

stability.

The Republic of Paraguay reiterates its commitment

to international peace and security. In that context,

we reaffirm the political will to increase, to the extent

practicable, our contribution of troops to peacekeeping

operations and to continue to train and equip

peacekeeping forces in accordance with standards

established by the United Nations, so as to progressively

increase our participation in those missions. Regionally,

we recognize the progress achieved by the United

Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti, where the

presence of specialized personnel in Paraguay’s armed

forces, working with other countries in our region, have

played a significant role in humanitarian assistance and

infrastructure engineering projects and in improving

the long-term standard of living to benefit many

generations of Haitians.

Since its inception, the United Nations has focused

all its efforts on constantly evolving so that it can

become a global structure capable of meeting the

current needs of Member States. It is in the desire

for such evolution that Paraguay supports the reform

process for the Organization, thereby strengthening the

General Assembly, which will lead to the restoration

of functions entrusted to that body by the Charter of

the United Nations, as the Assembly is the sole body

with universal representation. On the issue of Security

Council reform, we urge that such reform be done in

accordance with the primary purpose of creating a more

democratic Council. We can no longer delay expansion

of that body. The Council must be more equitable,

inclusive and democratic, reflecting the number of

members of our Organization. We must improve its

working methods and ensure greater transparency in

its management.

As we commemorate in 2015 the seventieth

anniversary of the establishment of the United Nations,

we hope to celebrate concrete results in the work of the

Organization that transcend the mere celebration of

the passage of time. We believe that consolidating the

substantive post-2015 development agenda should lead

to effective and real development for future generations.

That is the greatest legacy we can leave.

Finally, we urge the General Assembly to find

more equitable and just means for establishing the list

of speakers of Heads of State and Government for next

year’s general debate.