Uruguay, 2023

I greet the President of the General Assembly, as well as the Secretary-General, the Heads of State and Government, the official delegations and the Organization, which has worked hard to convene this meeting today.

Today once again. I come to speak on behalf of my country. I come to speak on behalf of my compatriots. We come here to this forum where representatives from more than 190 countries come to share their messages. We have different cultures and Governments with different ideologies and different social, economic, climatic and geographical situations. But if we are all here, that means that in some way we agreed, a long time ago. to be guided and protected by the same rights, obligations and principles under international law. with scant coercive power and where the same yardstick is often not applied to the great Powers than to smaller countries.

We come once again to the Assembly with a positive and optimistic vision of humankind, but we must not be naive. Objectively, we live in a better world, although of course our current reality has its challenges and threats. We are convinced that globalization, information technology, artificial intelligence and real-time communication are tools that help the integration and development of our peoples — of course, if they are used well. In that respect, there is a growing sense of responsibility among world leaders. I heard the Secretary-General emphasize that issue earlier today. We are in a world where speeches are actions; where, standing here, a world leader can generate consequences — be it an international conflict, a bank run or something else —just with his words.

Uruguay comes to the Assembly enjoying a full and stable democracy and in full respect for its institutions and the law. which is a historical tradition in our country. Despite the pandemic, despite the Russian invasion, despite different climatic factors, our country has restored its economy to what it was before the pandemic. Employment has improved and unemployment has decreased. We have made a historic public investment in infrastructure. We have received significant foreign direct investment and a large part of those revenues have been reinvested in our country, which signals an important sense of confidence. Public finances are in order. Inflation is at its lowest in the past 18 years. We have been able to lower taxes and. at the same time, we have carried out reforms that have long been urgent, such as educational and social security reform. Uruguayans practice a very precious and responsible freedom.

Earlier today, when I was writing part of my speech. I remembered what I said here in September 2021. Towards the end of my speech. I said that “[i] f there is a lesson to be drawn from the pandemic, it is that we are all one” (A/76/PV6, p.20). For the very reason that we are truly all one. today I wish to refer to responsible international freedom. It is clear that our well-being as independent countries is inextricably linked to the common good. Everyone must know that, accept it and. of course, act accordingly.

Many Heads of State have long raised the issue of the environment in this forum. I belong to a country that began calling itself “natural Uruguay” many years ago. Among other things, renewable energy in our country exceeds 90 per cent today. We have engaged in significant reforestation. We have sustainable production processes, and I could go on adding to a long list that affirms the concept of natural Uruguay. After many years of declarations and commitments, the international community has truly come to understand that the economy and the environment are closely associated. A few months ago. Uruguay issued a sustainable bond based on rewards and punishments that depend on compliance with parameters established in the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. I want to draw attention here today to the fact that we are convinced that this very system of rewards and punishments should apply to international loans, market access, quotas and tariffs, with the aim not only of punishing non-compliance, but also of rewarding those who have processes that are environmentally friendly and sustainable. In that way. as happens to us when we are children, the stimuli to improve will surely push nations to make a greater effort that will pay off in domestic economies and. obviously, at the global level.

In that regard. I want to share a situation that our country is going through and that. I am sure, some of the nations represented here are also experiencing. We could call it the sin of doing things well. What do I mean by the sin of doing things well? Our country has achieved important human and economic development, and because we have obtained those standards we are often denied access to certain cooperation and preference systems and certain very important instruments of international commercial relations. Obviously. I do not want to stop sharing in the spirit with which those mechanisms were created, but I believe that we must redesign them, because in some way they do not stimulate countries to grow and sustain themselves if they lose access to those conditions. I want to make it clear that Uruguay is not here to beg or make exaggerated claims, but simply, as I said earlier, in appealing for international responsible freedom, we want to act with justice. If we do things well, the international cooperation should act accordingly. That means nothing less and nothing more than improving access to opportunity.

I shall close here, because members have had a long day. I want once again here, as I have done in other forums, to firmly condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine and stand in solidarity with the Ukrainian people. I also concur with the Secretary-General in raising my voice against authoritarian populism that impoverishes its people and violates human rights, and thus condemns current and future generations.

Once again, perhaps in this area we will have to say a mea culpa, because the absence of a forceful and effective reaction from the international community has often exacerbated or failed to prevent such situations.