Bolivia (Plurinational State of)

Brother Vice-President of the General Assembly of the United Nations, Diego Pary Rodríguez, it is a joy and a source of pride for Bolivia to see you presiding over this General Assembly of the most important multilateral organization created by humanity, and we are certain that, together with President Dennis Francis and his leadership, you will uphold the name of your countries and of our Latin American and Caribbean region.

Distinguished Heads of State and Government, Ministers of Foreign Affairs,

Sisters and brothers of the delegations present,

Good afternoon to all.

Brother Vice-President, a year ago, in this very forum, we denounced that the world was facing a capitalist crisis that put humanity and the very existence of the planet at risk. Unfortunately, one year after that declaration, this delicate scenario has not changed. The capitalist system, in its eagerness to impose its decadent hegemony, replicates practices of colonial domination and exploitation that should already have been overcome.

Regrettably, many of the brilliant proposals that have emerged from within this Assembly have been ignored, or simply omitted, due to interests that serve the savage system of capitalist exploitation, which prioritizes the production and reproduction of capital over safeguarding human life and the existence of the planet.

It is evident that we find ourselves facing the precarization of the economy due to the effects of the multiple armed conflicts shaking the world today. Peace and security are at imminent risk given the international community's lack of will to propose solutions that prioritize dialogue and put an end to the war efforts fostered by the transnational corporations of war.

Added to this are the serious effects of the ecological crisis on life systems in every corner of the world.

According to experts, due to the prevailing system, 6 of the 9 planetary boundaries within which humanity and Mother Earth as a whole can continue to develop and prosper have already been surpassed. It is worth highlighting that this tragic situation worsened even further during the last decades of unipolarity and unilateralism, of inaction and unfulfilled commitments.

The pending challenges remain numerous and enormous, but today we find ourselves at the dawn of a new international configuration. We are convinced that we are witnessing the construction of a new World Order, a situation in which the United Nations General Assembly, following the principles for which it was created, must play a leading role. A new World Order in which we are all part, with equal rights and obligations, without impositions of any kind, without masters or slaves, without double standards for measuring one another, without those who sanction and those who are sanctioned—a New Order where solidarity, complementarity, and collaboration prevail over selfishness and pettiness. With the certainty that this better world is possible and necessary, the Plurinational State of Bolivia wishes to share the following ideas and proposals:

1. We reiterate, as we did last year, our proposal that the world be declared a territory of peace. We must put an end, once and for all, to the arms race and prioritize sincere dialogue and the diplomacy of peoples to resolve the armed conflicts that threaten the existence of humanity.

It is urgent that our nations unite in a collective effort, with diverse voices, especially those coming from regions far removed from the rhetoric of confrontation, and which nevertheless suffer the repercussions of war in different dimensions.

We must give peace a chance, and in this task the United Nations Organization has a fundamental role to play in reducing tensions and advancing dialogues that allow for the consolidation of political and diplomatic solutions to the conflicts on our organization's agenda.

In this vein, we reiterate our deep concern over the escalation of violence in the conflict in Eastern Europe, and the threat by several countries to worsen the situation through confrontation involving the use of weapons of mass destruction, weapons that use depleted radioactive elements, and unconventional weapons, which are prohibited under international law through various international instruments of a binding nature.

We view with absolute concern that military spending in the world has reached historic figures; as of April 2023, the world had invested more than 2.24 trillion dollars in weapons and the war industry. If these resources were invested in peace, in mediation, dialogue, the development of peoples, and in life instead of destruction and death, we would not find ourselves on the brink of a crisis that deepens inequalities in the world and, contrary to the objectives we have set for ourselves in this very forum, deepens poverty on the planet.

The means and ways of waging war cannot be unlimited; a growing number of countries are seeking to use outer space to enhance their military capabilities in order to protect their national security, further endangering the peace and security of our planet.

We deeply regret that maintaining peace and security has become an increasingly challenging goal.

Genuine peace can only be achieved through the effective implementation of the mechanisms provided for in the Charter of the United Nations and the complete elimination of all types of weapons.

Bolivia will always be committed to defending and strengthening multilateralism and to continuing to contribute to disarmament in compliance with International Law and International Humanitarian Law (IHL), from a vision centered on peace with social justice, the well-being of people, and peaceful coexistence.

We reiterate our regional commitment by proclaiming Latin America and the Caribbean as a Zone of Peace, based on the promotion and respect of the Purposes and Principles of the Charter of the United Nations and of International Law, as we expressed within the framework of the VII Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC).

Likewise, at the CELAC-EU Summit held in Brussels last July, we expressed our desire for a Latin America, the Caribbean, and Europe at peace. May their peoples achieve the peace that the capitalist model has not been able to offer them, abandoning practices that throughout past history have failed to provide an equitable and complementary relationship between our regions.

2. It is necessary to break, as soon as possible, the unjust international order that burdens our peoples, and to sit down now to debate, within the framework of the United Nations, in order to build a new pact for the future.

From Bolivia, we have begun to discuss the possibility of a New Pact for the Future, but to do so we must remember the past, resolve the present, and prepare for the future to come.

We are obligated to address the needs of present and future generations in an equitable manner. We cannot allow a child to die of hunger today to secure the snack of another child who has not yet been born. Eliminating poverty and inequalities today will prevent unimaginable conflicts over economic and ecological distribution in the future.

To rebuild trust, we need to abandon petty interests and forge reciprocity. For example, by releasing all technology transfers that help save lives and restore Mother Earth.

To rekindle global solidarity, we need to recognize ourselves in others and repair our relationships as humanity. For example, in the context of climate change, let us agree that each State should dedicate resources to the Loss and Damage Fund in proportion to its historical responsibility for greenhouse gases.

Action on the 2030 Agenda can be accelerated if we make peace and solidarity the engine of prosperity. Let us dare to transform the expenditures of war and death into investments for life. With these resources, we could far surpass the Sustainable Development Goals.

Likewise, we will only manage to keep Mother Earth within a safe operating space for humanity if sustainability with ecological and social justice becomes the only way to progress. But we must achieve these goals fairly and equitably, with everyone and for everyone, and without political or financial impositions.

3. It is necessary and urgent to change the capitalist system in times of neoliberalism, which multiplies and reproduces forms of domination, exploitation, and exclusion of the great majorities.

Sisters and brothers,

The multidimensional crisis of capitalism has been laid bare in the post-pandemic context and has been exacerbated by the effects of the military conflict in Eastern Europe; and these are nothing more than expressions of the transition toward the configuration of a world order different from the one we currently have.

In response, and as never before, the global South is rising up peacefully and constructively, through regional and interregional processes of cooperation and integration. Thus grows the clamor to reconfigure the international financial system and transform our understanding of what scientific development should be—respectful of Mother Earth—and how to pursue it equitably, recognizing the respective historical responsibilities of our nations in all dimensions.

Given the irreversible march toward a multipolar world, the increasingly strong influence of new initiatives for economic, commercial integration, and cooperation among countries is undeniable. The emergence of trade blocs such as those in Asia, Africa, South America, or the BRICS, allows nations today to access international markets without needing to compromise their sovereignty.

In this context, despite an adverse international environment, Bolivia has implemented the 2021-2025 Economic and Social Development Plan, "Rebuilding the Economy to Live Well, Towards Industrialization with Import Substitution," which lays the foundation for confronting the global economic crisis and developing public policies to strengthen the national economy and promote our development capacities.

In this regard, the actions taken for the economic and productive reconstruction of our economy exceeded 6% in 2021, and reached 3.5% in 2022. In 2022, our nominal GDP increased from 40.703 billion dollars in 2021 to 44.315 billion dollars in 2022, the highest figure in our history. Likewise, GDP per capita increased by 7.4% compared to the 2021 figure, reaching an amount of 3,691 dollars, also the highest figure in the history of our country.

It is also worth mentioning that so far this year, accumulated inflation is only 1.6%, the lowest figure in our region and compared to many countries around the world.

We achieved this indicator without raising interest rates, without practicing neoliberal monetary policies, and always protecting the pockets of the poorest, which is where inflation causes the most damage.

The achievements attained by our country are based mainly on the civilizational horizon of Living Well, which reclaims the culture of communal life in its fullness, respecting coexistence in harmony, balance, and complementarity between human beings and the rest of nature within Mother Earth.

4. The climate crisis requires concrete actions and renewed commitments.

Bolivia proposed the recognition of Mother Earth at the United Nations General Assembly (UN), through the Resolution adopted on April 22, 2009, as an effort so that, as an international community, we become aware of the importance of restoring natural processes for human survival, putting forward an alternative anti-colonial vision in the face of capitalism and mercantilism.

With this understanding, our vision of the sustainability of development has strong roots in our vision of Living Well and harmony with nature. This vision arises from the ancient and ancestral thinking of the indigenous nations and peoples that form the basis of our plurinationality.

Regarding the needs concerning mitigation and adaptation to the climate crisis, and growing losses and damages, it is important that all countries assume our responsibilities; within this framework, developed countries must assume their share of the climate debt and historical compensation and reparations owed to developing countries. The first step toward this is to fulfill the pending commitments on the provision of financing, technology transfer, and capacity building.

Within this global problem, there is a common issue that is beginning to take a toll on the poorest countries: water scarcity and the increasing rate of freshwater evaporation. We urge our Assembly to pay ongoing attention to this problem, which mainly affects the poorest people on all five continents and which is already beginning to affect social sectors that do not fall within conventional definitions of poverty.

Sisters and brothers,

Bolivia highlights that this year the Treaty on Marine Biodiversity in Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) was concluded and adopted by consensus, because it represents a significant step toward the protection of our oceans and the sustainability of the use of their resources, significantly benefiting developing countries, and especially landlocked developing countries. This treaty will establish rules and regulations to prevent the sustainable exploitation of resources, which will protect the interests of landlocked countries and prevent the depletion of marine resources.

The BBNJ Treaty is a historic opportunity to make a difference in the protection of our oceans, because they constitute a common good of humanity. In this context, we highlight the special mention given to Indigenous Peoples and Landlocked Developing Countries. Together, we can ensure that the oceans continue to be a source of life and prosperity for present and future generations in an equitable manner.

5. We must continue to promote a broader view of Human Rights and Democracy.

Despite the progress made, the world remains an unequal one. While it is true that peoples build their own destiny, it is also true that the good living of our peoples has been undermined for centuries by legal, economic, and ideological colonialism.

You know better than I do that it has not been possible to exercise the right to development due to historical circumstances. The systematic transfer of wealth from the South to the North has placed us at a disadvantage to this day. We have had to navigate the storm of a crisis imposed solely on the South. Since then, speaking of economic, social, and cultural human rights such as health, education, food, and access to knowledge and technology is not the same in one continent as in another—in the South as in the North.

In this context, it is not possible to plan without addressing historical responsibilities. Without assuming this, it is impossible to achieve our full potential as peoples and make possible their right to development. In the Plurinational State of Bolivia, we have understood that there is no possible democracy without development. And development can have no better indicator than the exercise of collective rights, promoted, protected, and guaranteed by the State, but combined with a high level of democratic participation by social groups.

In Bolivia, we have come to understand that economic stability also means a substantive change for food sovereignty, access to intercultural and multilingual education, and the sexual and reproductive health of Bolivian women.

From our own experience, I want to highlight that the active participation of Indigenous Peoples in matters of State is what has made our recent achievements possible, and therefore I call on this Assembly to continue advancing in strengthening their rights and their participation.

Another issue of special interest to my country is women's rights. It is estimated that 736 million women worldwide—that is, one in every three women—have been subjected to physical and/or sexual violence. The violence suffered by women must cease to be a solitary and private experience and must be recognized as a public matter on which we must take urgent action.

Maternal mortality is another major problem we must confront, as 800 women die every day from causes related to pregnancy. Sustainable development will not be possible if we do not give women the opportunity to live without fear of violence and to exercise their sexual and reproductive rights with access to universal health services.

6. Banish the implementation of unilateral sanctions and coercive measures from the international system.

Brother Vice-President,

Another issue I cannot fail to mention on this occasion relates to the unilateral coercive measures and sanctions applied against brother peoples, undermining their development and their most basic human rights. These measures are evidence of a dysfunctional system, far removed from international law and multilateralism.

A clear example of these measures is the illegal, inhumane, and criminal economic and financial blockade imposed by the United States against Cuba. The restrictions imposed have made it difficult to access food, medicine, and other basic goods, causing human suffering and impacting its economy and development. We call for compliance with the multiple resolutions adopted by this General Assembly and for the building of a more just and united world in which all countries can prosper regardless of their political differences.

Likewise, we reject and condemn the inclusion of Cuba as a sponsor of terrorism on the United States' unilateral lists, using this argument to impose further restrictive measures against the Cuban people. These measures are contrary to the Charter of the United Nations and to the mandate of the Security Council, and therefore have neither backing nor validity under international law; worse still, they gravely affect the Cuban people's right to development.

7. Let us put an end, as soon as possible, to the abuse of the Palestinian people.

Regarding the occupation of Palestine by Israel, we cannot continue to allow the suffering of the Palestinian people. We reiterate our support for global and regional initiatives, international law, and UN resolutions that seek to guarantee a solution in which the Palestinian people exercise their right to self-determination and build their own free, independent, and sovereign state with the borders that existed prior to 1967 and with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Finally, sisters and brothers,

The current crisis demands a strong United Nations Organization, consistent with the principles that created it, committed to peace, that maintains its intergovernmental character but without subordination to any hegemonic power, whether economic, political, or military. Because solutions to the many challenges facing humanity will only become a reality with the genuine commitment and political will of all countries and their stakeholders, prioritizing the common interest of humanity, of peoples, and of the most vulnerable sectors of humanity.

Thank you very much.