72nd Session of the General Assembly of the United Nations
Tuesday, September 19, 2017
Translated by Thomas Davies
Brother Secretary-General of the United Nations, Brother President of the General Assembly; sisters and brothers heads of state and governments, sisters and brothers of the delegations present and international organizations.
On behalf of the people of Bolivia we express our solidarity with the people of Mexico, dismayed by what happened today in the afternoon with the earthquake. We express our strength, with brotherhood to face the problems that were presented in Mexico.
Sisters and brothers, again the leaders of the world meet in the historic hall of the United Nations General Assembly; again meet to express our positions on the great challenges facing our family, the human family. The UN, as the Charter of the United Nations says, was created to preserve the coming generations from war, to promote social progress and to raise the standard of living of all. Unfortunately many of these promises did not become reality, and after more than 70 years we see that in many cases, instead of moving towards those objectives, we have regressed.
As we have affirmed many times, as a result of the abusive practices of imperialism, the savage consumer market that sustains capitalism and the endless colonialist adventures, the world is going through a multiplicity of crises that, instead of being solved, are getting worse. War and violent conflicts remain the scourge of millions of people; as a result of external aggressions in Iraq up to one million are dead, in Syria almost half a million people have been killed, in Libya tens of thousands have been killed and in Yemen the humanitarian crisis is of great proportions.
History has shown that with the objective of appropriating natural resources and geopolitically controlling the world, military bases are deployed, invasions are organized and governments are brought down to create chaos and benefit from that situation. Many of these invasions have fueled the emergence of terrorist groups that unleash violent confrontation and attacks on civilian populations, further damaging innocent victims. Bolivia condemns terrorism and calls to combat it by resolving the structural causes of its emergence.
Sisters and brothers, to this terrible situation is added the climate crisis, again we warn that this year has been the hottest in the history of the planet. Hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, droughts, air pollution, oceans and the consequent extinction of species are the product of the capitalist model, consumption levels and excessive industrialization. In this situation the countries of the South, those that least contaminate, suffer the most consequences; it is imperative that all countries adhere to the Paris Agreements to jointly assume the enormous challenges to save the planet.
It is unjustifiable and inadmissible that the United States has decided to turn its back on the Paris Agreement. In refusing to join in the global effort, as one of the primary polluters, its government has become a threat against Mother Earth. A unequivocal political will is necessary, we can not expect the market forces to finally convince the leaders of the capitalist world to take action.
We extend our embrace of solidarity to our Caribbean brothers who suffer the consequences of hurricanes, together as a united family we will share what we have, even if little.
Sisters and brothers of the United Nations: our rivers, the seas, our forests, and science give us irrefutable evidence and call us to act. Water is the blood of Mother Earth which feeds rivers, lakes, seas, and oceans which are the source of life and balance, are universal common goods that cover three quarters of our house, and which bathe the coasts of all continents and the islands of the earth. They do it naturally, without distinguishing political boundaries or nationalities, they must be respected, cared for, shared and preserved for future generations. Bolivia has promoted the recognition of water as a human right for the survival of humanity, so our Constitution also prohibits it from being a profit or mercantilism.
The use of water should pave the way for opportunities that promote collaboration, interaction and harmony among peoples, not to create conflicts over their origin, property or use. It is in this spirit, safeguarding Human Rights, the sovereign rights of our natural resources and in search of good-neighborly agreements, that Bolivia hopes to resolve its differences on the waters of Silala, now filed before the Court of of Justice. Water should not be the cause of internal or international conflicts, it should bring together and unite all States, nations, communities, peoples, social movements and individuals. For Bolivia, the hydrographic heart of South America, this concept is very important: "Where water flows, peace must flow."
Sisters and brothers, the world is not only hotter every year; every year is more unfair, more unequal. The gap between those who have most of everything and those who have almost nothing is ever widening. According to Oxfam's most recent report, eight people have the same wealth as 3.6 billion people, or half of the world's population. Inequality is immoral. If 800 million people are hungry, it is not because food is lacking, if millions of children die of an infection, it is not because of a lack of medicines. If 1.1 billion people do not have electricity is not because of lack of energy in the world, if there are illiterates is not because there are missing books, if there are poor in the world is not because of lack of resources. As a product of war, terrorism and other conflicts, we are experiencing the worst humanitarian crisis.
Since the founding of the United Nations, more than 128 million people require humanitarian assistance in 33 countries, more than 65 million people have been forcibly displaced, more than 22 million made refugees. It is the highest number in the whole history of humanity, more than 10 million people have no state, sisters and brothers this strikes us. Bolivia condemns the construction of walls and the laws that pretend to criminalize migration, for this we propose the creation of a universal citizenship. This social and migratory crisis has its origin in the dominant world order, which in its unbridled voracity for profit and appropriation of the common goods generates violence, promotes inequalities and destroys Mother Earth.
The migrant can not be held responsible for economic-financial crises or insecurity; we must not allow them to be criminalized, no emigrants are illegal. Some governments, far from contributing to the solution of the structural causes of this phenomenon such as wars, the consequences of climate change or economic asymmetries among states, announce greater restrictions on migration policy, massive expulsions and the construction of walls. The walls go against the history of humanity, the walls mutilate science and knowledge, walls enclose the soul, ignite hatred of difference, drown freedom.
Last June, in Tiquipaya, Bolivia, representatives of social movements from 45 countries of the world met at the World Conference for a World without Walls to Universal Citizenship, in which we elaborated alternative proposals with a humanist vision, to welcome, protect, promote and integrate migrants. Brother Francis, in August of this year, dedicated a pastoral document to these four verbs.
We also call upon the governments of the world to jointly combat criminal networks that deal with human beings; declare human trafficking and trafficking a crime against humanity and reflect on the formation of a Global Ombudsman to ensure the observance of human rights as an instance of universal jurisdiction. Let me call again to build a global pact that will be the bridge to advance in the much desired Universal Citizenship, because there are no categories, there are no differences between nationals and foreigners, because we are all human beings children of Mother Earth.
Sisters and brothers, the United States must unilaterally and unconditionally end the unjust blockade that has caused so much suffering for the Cuban people for almost 60 years. It is an unjust and failed policy and therefore must cease; the new actions announced by President Trump signify a resurgence of the economic and commercial blockade against Cuba and revert the advances achieved in the relations between Cuba and the United States. The United States must not only lift this criminal blockade, but must pay compensation for the damages caused and restore Guantánamo to Cuban sovereignty.
I give my heartfelt homage to the memory of Commander Fidel and Commander Che Guevara, who from this rostrum warned us that in the empire is not to be trusted. Sisters and brothers, we welcome the progress made in the peace process in Colombia, the consolidation of a cease-fire, the delivery of weapons and the incorporation of the FARC into political life. Revolutions are made with vows and the conscience of the people, and not with bullets. Latin America and the Caribbean are consolidated as a region of peace. Bolivia categorically condemns the unilateral sanctions and threats of ambition of the United States government against the Bolivarian Republic from Venezuela. Our region is no one's backyard.
We also reject the conduct of the Secretary General of the Organization of American States, Luis Almagro, who is a spokesman for anti-Latin American interests. We express our solidarity and support for the president, Nicolás Maduro, and the Venezuelan people. We welcome and support the continuity of democratic dialogue.
For Bolivia the Palestinian cause is inalienable; we condemn the criminal Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory; condemn the construction of new settlements; we condemn military aggression against the Palestinian people. We demand that the settlement of the two States, with a Palestinian State, with the pre-1967 borders and with East Jerusalem as its capital, be put into effect.
We condemn the unilateral and illegal military actions of the United States has deployed to the territory of the Arab Republic of Syria. We salute the efforts of the Secretary-General, Russia, Iran, Turkey and Kazakhstan to achieve a cease-fire and build in the process of peace negotiation, we are convinced that if not for interventionism we would not suffer such a war.
Bolivia condemns the development, manufacture and use of all nuclear or chemical weapons, which constitute a serious threat to peace and security and to life itself. We demand that any military exit to the situation on the Korean peninsula be avoided and that negotiations be resumed as soon as possible to resolve that conflict in a peaceful manner. It is clear that the main threat to Mother Earth, against multilateralism, against peace and against freedom is the government of the United States.
Sisters and brothers, it is my duty to inform the economic and social situation of my country, Bolivia has consolidated an economic model that successfully faces the global crisis of the capitalist system. Bolivia leads the economic growth of our region, we have recovered our country. Bolivia is an area free of illiteracy, a territory free of US military bases, free from the DEA and free from USAID, a territory free of impositions from the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. In the last decade we have reduced extreme poverty from 38.2% to 16.8% and by 2025 we will eradicate it. We have reduced inequality. In 2005 the richest 10% had 128 times more wealth than the poorest 10%; now the richest 10% has 46 times more than the poorest 10 percent.
Bolivia is the second country in the world with the largest number of women in Parliament. We have a commitment to multilateralism, to the principles of the Charter of the United Nations, to the peaceful and negotiated resolution of conflicts. In 2003, Bolivia went before the International Court of Justice in The Hague in search of a peaceful solution to the centenarian demand that we have with the Republic of Chile and that allows us to exercise our right to sovereign access to the Pacific Ocean.
We seek a solution that would be as much from the historical and legal antecedents as the vocation of understanding between neighboring peoples and siblings through a timely and effective negotiation in good faith. We have confidence in the decisions of the Court and in a process of dialogue and negotiation that, unlike the invasion we suffered in the past, will contribute to overcoming differences to enhance our complementarity, free, sovereign access to the Pacific Ocean and good use of shared natural resources. We are grateful for the solidarity of many States, peoples and leaders who have expressed their support for our maritime cause.
And I take this opportunity to ask all the participants of this Assembly of American States to join us in this goal of peace, justice, which is an indispensable challenge for the fraternity of our peoples and the next generations.
Sisters and brothers, every year that passes our challenges deepen, the walls are constantly being built, war continues to destroy peoples and global warming continues to be a growing threat. If we really want to resolve these issues, if we really want to represent the interests of our peoples, it is essential that basic services be recognized as Human Rights, that the rights of Mother Earth be recognized and respected, that a struggle against capitalism, colonialsim and imperialism be undertaken.
Only from the success of this struggle will a true world order be born, based on solidarity, equality, social justice and respect for the rights of peoples to peace and development in order to live well.
Thank you very much.
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