Ecuador

Mr. President of the General Assembly, distinguished representatives:

I begin by conveying the greetings of the President of the Republic of Ecuador, Daniel Noboa Azín, leader of a young Government who has had the fortitude to break the patterns that prevented the realization of the changes demanded by his generation, demanded by my country.

Ecuador is a country of 18 million inhabitants with enormous potential, in which young people fight every day for a better future, changing the reality they inherited.

They believed in the transformative project put forward by President Noboa and today they see a country of opportunities and progress, founded on respect for human rights and in which there is a firm commitment to eradicate corruption and impunity.

Mr. President, ladies and gentlemen:

Although it may seem that global and multidimensional crises overwhelm us, international law and the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations must continue to be our compass.

For this reason, today I reaffirm Ecuador's commitment to multilateralism; to peace and sustainable development; to the peaceful settlement of conflicts; and to respect for individual freedoms and human rights.

I reaffirm, in short, Ecuador's unwavering commitment to and respect for the ideals and principles that have given life to nations.

We must implement the Pact for the Future, the Global Digital Compact, and the Declaration on Future Generations, adopted last week.

This will help ensure that the UN ceases to be a snapshot taken 79 years ago and better reflects the reality of the contemporary world.

Ecuador welcomes any initiative that seeks inclusive prosperity and democracy, knowing that their sustainability is closely linked to the peace of a nation, because there is an indissoluble link between peace and development, between development and peace.

For this reason, Ecuador works toward the Sustainable Development Goals and has demonstrated that the much-desired Goal 16, "Peace, justice and strong institutions," generates synergies and is intertwined with 125 of the 169 targets of the 2030 Agenda.

We must understand this: when we strengthen democracy and institutions, we combat violence in all its manifestations. By tackling corruption, we achieve greater justice and peace for citizens.

We generate an impact on the reactivation of the economy and quality employment; on the reduction of poverty, hunger, and malnutrition.

Security / Transnational organized crime

Mr. President:

Building a future of greater prosperity and peace requires combating transnational organized crime and drug trafficking, which undermine institutions and corrode the social fabric of our democracies.

In December 2023, President Noboa, within the framework of Ecuador's presidency of the Security Council, warned its members of a wave of transnational organized crime and narco-terrorism that threatens the rule of law, state control, and border security.

Faced with this challenge, the National Government has adopted responsible decisions and is leading a relentless fight that past governments avoided.

However, national actions are not sufficient to face the threat of transnational organized crime, which has resources that far exceed those used to combat it.

Only by deepening our efforts and working in a coordinated and effective manner with the international community will we be able to defeat it.

Security Council

As an elected member of the Security Council, Ecuador has demonstrated its commitment to international peace and security.

We have risen to this historic challenge, which has required us to act with responsibility and awareness, amid geopolitical tensions among the great powers that limit the fulfillment of the collective responsibility to act in conflict situations that keep humanity on edge.

In the case of Ukraine, we are co-drafters of the humanitarian file, and regarding the situation in Palestine, we have voted in favor of all resolutions adopted by the Security Council to halt hostilities, free hostages, allow an adequate flow of humanitarian aid, and advocate for respect for international humanitarian law.

In my region, we led the Security Council's authorization for the deployment of the Multinational Security Support Mission for Haiti, adopted through resolution 2699 of October 2023, which has just been renewed until 2025, a few minutes ago.

CARICOM's role has been key in the support given to Kenya as leader of the MSS.

This first step must help the sister Republic of Haiti find its own path toward peace and sustainable development.

Mr. President, Excellencies, colleagues:

Until the end of our mandate, we will continue to honor the commitment made before this Assembly, which elected us with 190 votes, to promote:

• The strengthening and maintenance of peace, • Respect for the Charter of the United Nations, prioritizing the peaceful settlement of disputes, diplomacy, and dialogue, • The protection of civilians as the best way to honor the seventy-fifth anniversary of the Geneva Conventions, • The fight against transnational organized crime and terrorism, • Non-proliferation and the fight against illicit trafficking in arms; and, • The Women, Peace and Security Agenda, to move toward eliminating the obstacles that prevent women from participating and making decisions throughout the entire cycle of prevention, building, and maintaining sustainable peace.

I would also like to highlight that Ecuador has made a permanent contribution to United Nations Peacekeeping Operations, with military personnel in various missions and support for initiatives that strengthen them, such as the historic Resolution 2719 (2023), which was adopted during our presidency of the Security Council.

This resolution paves the way for sustainable financing of missions requested by the African Union's Peace and Security Council.

Democracy and Venezuela

This brings me to another of the challenges we face in Latin America: the imperative of preserving the rule of law and respect for the will of the people.

The escalation of tensions in Venezuela; the systematic violations of human rights; the persecution of political leaders; and the daily violent repression by a totalitarian government against its citizens for demanding respect for the popular will expressed at the ballot box, foreshadow a direct threat to regional stability, with possible repercussions for international peace and security.

The critical humanitarian, economic, political, human rights, and security situation in Venezuela has caused the departure of 7.7 million people in search of better opportunities.

Many of them have been received in various nations of Latin America, including Ecuador, which hosts the highest number of Venezuelans per capita in the region.

Faced with the continuous deterioration, the gravity and complexity of this crisis, Ecuador has taken a leadership role in favor of the people of Venezuela and will not cease insisting before international forums that a peaceful and democratic transition take place, led by all Venezuelans.

The international community must give a clear and timely response on this path.

Migration

Mr. President:

Migration is one of the most complex and urgent challenges afflicting the world.

Behind irregular migration operate networks of human trafficking and migrant smuggling, which put the integrity and lives of millions of people at risk, in which unaccompanied minors and women are the most vulnerable.

This is intolerable, and combating it requires joint and coordinated actions with a comprehensive approach.

Ecuador experiences all dimensions of migration: we are a country of origin, of destination, of transit, of return, and even of refuge.

For this reason, we advocate for safe, orderly, and regular migration in all areas of human mobility, which requires the resolute support of the international community, which must be clear that this is achieved without criminalizing it.

Environment/Climate change

The international community must also unite to confront the devastating effects of climate change.

Ecuador is suffering the worst drought of recent decades.

This underscores the importance of caring for our ecosystems and investing in infrastructure to address it.

As a megadiverse country, with unique and fragile ecosystems such as the Amazon, the Andes, and the Galápagos Islands, we are committed to the conservation of biodiversity. We are updating the National Biodiversity Strategy and have launched an ecological transition policy to preserve our natural heritage.

These efforts require greater shared responsibility from the international community, particularly in terms of financing, technology transfer, capacity building, and scientific research, which are currently neither sufficient nor adequate.

The Paris Agreement and the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities must not be undermined. They must be strengthened.

Ecuador also supports initiatives on the protection, conservation, and sustainable use of the ocean, such as the prompt entry into force of the Agreement on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biodiversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction, and the holding of the Third United Nations Ocean Conference in 2025.

Our commitment is also reflected in the efforts driven by the Ecuadorian Presidency of the Committee tasked with drafting a legally binding instrument to eliminate plastic pollution.

We hope that this goal will soon be achieved, and that Galápagos, a Natural World Heritage Site, will host the signing of this instrument.

Closing

Mr. President:

Security, transnational organized crime, and climate change are some of the challenges we face as humanity, and they require greater use of global mechanisms for cooperation and development financing.

Ecuador is convinced of the need for a genuine transformation of global governance and its institutions, to give them legitimacy and thus avoid their being condemned to sterility and irrelevance.

This includes the Bretton Woods institutions and this very Organization.

The improvement of the organs of the United Nations system is not the ultimate goal, but a step toward achieving the greater objective, which is peace and security in the world.

Therefore, taking into account the relationship between the principal organs, in order to have a stronger and more effective Security Council, we also need a more modern and effective General Assembly.

We must reaffirm the central role of this General Assembly as the necessary reform of the Security Council takes place.

Ecuador is clear that it is a non-permanent member of the Council whose term ends in December 2024, and it also knows that the role of elected members —when they act together— is fundamental.

We must continue working along these lines.

An essential component of transformation is the participation of women in leadership positions.

Ecuador reaffirms its support for a woman from the Latin America and Caribbean region to become the next Secretary-General of the UN.

I conclude by recalling that crises are overcome through political resolve, will, and courage to make the right decisions.

This will be achieved by strengthening multilateralism, not weakening it.

In this way, we will be able to achieve the dreams of a more just, peaceful world with opportunities for all.

Thank you very much.