Ecuador

Mr. Dennis Francis, President of the 78th session of the General Assembly, distinguished delegates and representatives of the nations of the world.

We are here to renew our commitment to the ideals and principles that give life to the United Nations: peace, the diplomatic resolution of conflicts, and respect for freedoms and human rights.

In this brief address I will share our vision and efforts to address the global challenges we face, from climate change and chronic child malnutrition, to the most urgent threats to our security.

Since the beginning of my government, we launched a historic ecological transition policy that preserves our natural heritage. At the same time, we have taken great strides in the transition from unsustainable production systems to a low-emission circular economy.

In January 2022 we expanded the protection of the Galápagos Islands with the creation of the "Hermandad" marine reserve, covering 60,000 square kilometers. This decision represents the greatest advance in my country's history toward the preservation of our incomparable biodiversity.

In addition, we strengthened the Eastern Tropical Pacific Marine Corridor in unity of purpose with the sister nations of Colombia, Costa Rica, and Panama, and together we created the largest transboundary reserve in the world, protecting 500,000 square kilometers where countless unique species that use these migratory routes live. We did it for our peoples and for the world.

Above all, my government has been able to balance environmental aspirations with sound economic sense. We have been pioneers in implementing an innovative debt-for-conservation swap initiative, which redirects resources toward the protection of the Galápagos. This is undoubtedly great news for the world.

The debt swap amounted to 1.630 billion dollars, making it the largest operation of its kind in the history of humanity. This figure is equivalent to 10% of Ecuador's public debt with private creditors. Of that amount, 450 million will be directed to the Galápagos Life Fund, for the protection of marine ecosystems and their more than 2,500 species, of which 38 are migratory. In this way, we are demonstrating to the world how debt and all its financial weight can be turned into opportunities in more ways than one.

We must also express here our concern about the upcoming - and increasingly likely - El Niño phenomenon, which could cause devastating flooding in Ecuador and the region. Faced with the possibility of an event of such magnitude, we have prioritized prevention, and we are working with the United Nations to seek financing alternatives through multilateral organizations.

We call on the international community to consider risk mitigation measures through major financial funds and non-reimbursable international cooperation, since the severity of this event is linked to climate change. We face an enormous task that will require the collaboration of all sectors of the international community to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and safeguard everyone's future.

However, our concern is not limited to environmental issues. Our attention is also focused on improving the quality of life of the most disadvantaged sectors of society, particularly children. Faced with alarming rates of chronic child malnutrition, we implemented the successful program "Ecuador Grows without Child Malnutrition," through which, in just 28 months, we reduced the malnutrition rate among children under 2 years of age by 3.5%, going from an indicator of 23.6% to 20.1%.

This type of malnutrition has serious and irreversible consequences for the children who suffer from it; it affects their neurological development, their ability to learn, to communicate, to think, and to relate to others. In other words, these boys and girls face enormous disadvantages from the very start of their lives, which will have negative repercussions on their future.

Faced with this painful reality, we implemented this public policy strategically so that, while pregnant women and children in their first thousand days of life are provided with medicines and vitamins, we renovate and equip health centers; hire more specialist physicians in family medicine, obstetricians, nurses; and 50,000 community monitors who go into neighborhoods to detect cases of malnutrition in a timely manner. Thanks to this action, more than 20,000 children under two years of age are free of chronic malnutrition. All of this, with an investment of 650 million dollars over 28 months of government.

The solution does not depend on how much money a State has, but on how much political will its leaders have. In our government, despite a lower average price of oil, we have prioritized state resources for this cause, because there is no economic growth or development unless we invest in social issues and in our children.

We hope to share our experience with all of you and join efforts, so that in the near future we can all say together: "the world is growing without child malnutrition."

Mr. President,

Ecuador strives to promote safe and responsible migration. We are one of the few countries that experiences all facets of migration: we are a country of origin, of destination, of transit, of return, and even of refuge.

Migration, in recent years, has been a challenge for the region, as it must confront complex situations that demand great efforts with cultural, economic, and social impacts. Ecuador has received thousands of migrants of different nationalities, and identifying their needs, conditions, experiences, and activities became a fundamental objective for a comprehensive approach.

That is why we launched the process of registering the migratory status of foreigners residing in our country, regardless of their migratory status, reaching the figure of 201,711 registered citizens. Most of them are Venezuelan citizens who arrived in Ecuador fleeing hunger and authoritarianism.

We want to give them a better future, guaranteeing all their rights, granting them a humanitarian visa so that they can regularize their stay and integrate more easily into society. We have extended our arms to protect this population that asks us for shelter. With or without documents, boys and girls attend school, and everyone is cared for in public hospitals. However, the open-door policy requires the valuable support of the international community. Our action has been consistent, in solidarity, and we humbly hope for reciprocity.

Excellencies,

After 31 years, Ecuador has taken on the challenge of returning to the Security Council. We have done so in a critical context for humanity, marked by extremely complex phenomena, such as the global vulnerability following the pandemic, as well as an unexpected armed conflict that has increased nuclear tensions. At the same time, new problems related to radicalization and violent extremism are emerging.

Ecuador has risen to the challenge. During the nine months of our membership on the Security Council, we have acted consistently, following what is established in the Charter of the United Nations, prioritizing the peaceful resolution of conflicts and the protection of civilians, the women, peace and security agenda, as well as the fight against illegal arms trafficking. Our actions respond in particular to new threats such as transnational organized crime, which undermines democratic stability, citizen security, and the rule of law.

I reiterate my statement at the Security Council's High-Level Meeting on Ukraine. We demand, once again, an end to the military aggression, in compliance with the Order of the International Court of Justice, and progress toward peace based on Ukraine's territorial integrity and the Charter of the United Nations.

We have warned that this conflict not only inflicts pain and destruction on the people of Ukraine, but also worsens global food insecurity and destabilizes the world economy, particularly that of developing countries. For that reason, we insist on resuming the Black Sea Grain Initiative. All wars and conflicts must cease.

Excellencies, I devote the rest of my remarks to an issue that is of the utmost concern for Ecuador and the world.

This historic moment has required me to be the Head of a State that, like few others, faces the violent siege of an enemy whose allies move across the porous borders that still divide the legitimate world from the illegitimate one.

I am referring to transnational organized crime, especially drug trafficking, and its dangerous and growing ramifications in public life.

My Government has broken records in drug seizures: in just two years, we have seized more than 500 tons, a figure that far exceeds that of previous governments. What we face today are the repercussions of the blow dealt to the pockets of criminals.

Such is the impact of our policy that last year, the United Nations recognized Ecuador as the third country in the world in drug seizures, after the United States and Colombia.

A few weeks ago, Ecuador experienced an unprecedented event in its history: the assassination of a presidential candidate. I am referring to Fernando Villavicencio, a lucid and courageous Ecuadorian who openly denounced the operations of organized crime and its ties to political mafias.

Transnational organized crime is a corrupting and murderous system that penetrates society and the state, that challenges the democratic stability of our countries, and that is advancing at great speed. This is not a problem exclusive to Ecuador; it is a problem for the world, since the same phenomena that Ecuador suffers are growing across much of the planet: drug and arms trafficking, human trafficking, forced migration, and illegal mining.

If we do not fight together, we will continue to suffer them alone. If the enemy has the capacity to multiply, we States must multiply our efforts even further.

It is vital for the future survival of States that we produce lasting, forceful, and effective mechanisms to put an end to criminal organizations and those who shelter or sponsor them. For if we want to fully share the benefits of a globalized world, we must also confront - together - the same adversities that it brings.

Dear delegates: in this and in every battle we face together, you can always count on Ecuador's unwavering commitment.

Thank you very much.