Guatemala

Excellencies, President of the General Assembly, Secretary-General of the United Nations Organization, Ladies and Gentlemen Heads of State and Government, Ladies and Gentlemen Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Honorable Delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen:

I want to thank the work of the President of the Seventy-Seventh Session and congratulate the President of this session, Mr. Dennis Francis, applauding the theme adopted for this session, on the need to rebuild trust among nations and confront the threats to peace, prosperity and the progress of the peoples of the United Nations.

We face today an unprecedented moment.

For more than a year and a half now, we have watched with horror the war initiated by the Russian Federation against Ukraine, which infringes upon the most basic principles on which the international order was based after the Second World War.

Fellow delegates:

And you know what is worse, it seems we have become accustomed to it!

We have become accustomed to: flagrant violations of human rights, to war, to death.

And worse still, instead of confronting this we have become accustomed to looking the other way in the face of a sad and stark reality that we pretend to ignore.

This has led us to distrust among human beings, to inequality among nations, to the non-observance of peace agreements, and under this reality, prosperity and progress for humankind are impossible.

Today, here, before all of you, I declare that this Organization is not the most active one: we have food insecurity, deaths from wars, massive migrations, among many other problems. That is why we must make it work, we must all work together.

We need a renewed Organization that seeks solutions, but above all, we need countries that are willing to overcome their ideological positions, willing to overcome ancestral conflicts.

This is the moment for human beings, represented through their peoples, to join hands, to be willing to share their wealth by investing in the countries that need to generate it.

This is about saving the human race, this is about saving the planet, this is about having future generations that live in peace and development. As an example of what I am talking about, one can mention the immense movements of human beings fleeing crises in their countries, whether due to insecurity, lack of food, or economic conditions.

Therefore, under this new order, we must achieve a United Nations in pursuit of peace and human development; we must demand respect for international law, respect for the peaceful resolution of differences, respect for the self-determination of peoples.

For this to be achieved, every country must raise its voice, every country must say enough.

And today my country joins the outcry to say enough.

My country joins the global call for the immediate withdrawal of Russian forces, respecting the territorial integrity and national unity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders. Slava Ukraini.

Mr. President:

Disarmament and the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons, as well as the use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, is one of the most important pillars of the Organization.

As a State Party to the Treaty of Tlatelolco, the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, and the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, my country is deeply committed to the common goal of a world free of weapons of mass destruction.

Imagine the catastrophe it would be for the world if the illegal and unprovoked aggression of the Russian Federation were to destroy the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, the largest nuclear plant in Europe, whose integrity and operation are in danger and which could cause a disaster of immeasurable proportions.

That is why I reiterate Guatemala's position as a country respectful of the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons, and I demand that all countries possessing nuclear weapons, including the 5 permanent members of the Council that manages the peace and security of this Organization, sit down and, with frankness, achieve total nuclear disarmament.

Mr. President:

Guatemala contributes to the maintenance of international security through its active participation in peacekeeping operations.

As a country that promotes peace, Guatemala has committed to the United Nations to deploy Guatemalan officers, which positions us as the fourth most important troop contributor from the Americas.

Mr. President:

We reiterate our firm commitment and solidarity for the development and prosperity of the Haitian people, who are at risk due to a multidimensional crisis of a political nature, internal security, lack of development, and the humanitarian crisis they are going through.

As the international community, we must react and address catastrophes before they become even more lamentable.

That is why, if this Organization decides on a new peace mission to be deployed in Haitian territory, you can count on Guatemala's participation in the training and capacity-building of Haiti's forces for as long as the peace mission is present.

Mr. President:

In the project to change the foundations of the UN so that it has the mechanisms to respond to the main challenges of humanity, which is so in need of peace and development,

Guatemala calls on the community of States to move quickly forward on a proposal, led by experts from the countries, that defines the substantive reforms to the UN so that it may resume the commendable path it set out on after its founding in 1945, a path which, over the years, we have forgotten to follow to the letter.

I propose that we begin as soon as possible on a fourth amendment to the founding Charter that addresses these new approaches and is in line with current times, which, while difficult times, also carry great opportunities.

In this amendment, it must be ensured that the recognition of the sovereign equality of States becomes a reality, that the peaceful resolution of conflicts between countries becomes an obligation, that nuclear energy be used solely for peaceful purposes, but perhaps most important of all, that the members of the United Nations exclude no one.

As our book, the Popol Vuh, from one of the greatest civilizations in the world, the Mayan civilization, says: "Let no one be left behind, let everyone rise up."

Today I want to tell you that, as the leader of a founding country of the United Nations, I recognize that the transformation of this body will bring about a radical change in multilateralism. This must recognize the importance of the inclusivity and universality of this Organization.

How can it be that, in the midst of the 21st century, this Organization excludes a country like Taiwan?

A country that contributes to science, high technology, health, development, among so many other fields; but most important of all is that we have excluded the citizens of Taiwan from having a voice to represent them in this forum.

Guatemala urges the United Nations to exhaust all measures necessary to guarantee international peace and security in the Taiwan Strait.

We also condemn the constant and growing military maneuvers in the waters and airspace around Taiwan, which endanger the security of the region and affect transportation and international trade.

Mr. President:

Four years ago I took office as President of the Republic of Guatemala, and in that time, I have heard great speeches, great treaties and commitments have been signed to stop climate change.

I want to tell you all that today, the world is worse off than it was four years ago. Because more than speeches, commitments and treaties, what the world needs is action.

The region that suffers most from the ravages of climate change is the Caribbean and the Central American region, and yet we generate a minuscule percentage of greenhouse gases, but we are the ones who suffer the most damage year after year.

Our resources are depleted, and we must go into debt to achieve the reconstruction of countries that, the following year, are damaged again. This leads us to obtain loans from international sources that very happily grant them and live off of international usury.

However, the reports of the United Nations rapporteurs speak of the scarce development of our countries; they point us out and criticize us.

But who points out those who, due to industrialization and their scant commitment to the impacts of climate change and greenhouse gases, cause the death of human beings?

There are countries that neither accept the United Nations agreements on climate change nor pay the contributions to the budget that correspond to them, but who also do not take responsibility for the high pollution of their industries, much less for the destruction they cause.

Is this fair?

Mr. President:

The serious threat of drug consumption, especially synthetic drugs, must be a matter of great concern for the international community. These represent an invisible enemy that is affecting health, and that also impacts governance and hinders the development of countries.

Within the change that must be made in the approach to this issue within the Organization, is that countries must understand that transnational crime must be fought transnationally, because it turns out that the major consumer countries are the main countries that launder the money produced by the drug business, which makes this fight a global responsibility.

The fight against drug trafficking, including synthetic drugs, must be a joint and coordinated effort in which information flows in accordance with applicable domestic and international regulations.

It is necessary to implement effective strategies to confront the criminal organizations that are responsible for hundreds of thousands of deaths per year.

A world free of drugs will not be achieved without a world committed to fighting them.

Mr. President:

Guatemala is firmly committed to promoting food security and the goal of Zero Hunger that is part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

With that spirit, we have increased our budget for food in our country, and we have strengthened the School Feeding Law, which aims to guarantee the nutrition of children and adolescents of school age in a sustainable manner. This, with the purpose of guaranteeing their enjoyment of a dignified, healthy and active life.

I am proud to report that, in 2022, these efforts benefited 2.6 million students in public educational centers.

Guatemala also notes with alarm the non-renewal of the Black Sea Grain Initiative.

We highlight the risks this poses to food security throughout the world, causing difficulties for the humanitarian operations that contribute to alleviating hunger worldwide, and a destabilization of food prices.

We condemn the use of hunger as a tool of war; this represents a violation of human rights and international humanitarian law.

We call for reason and cooperation, and to avoid a further deterioration of the food situation at the global level.

Mr. President:

An issue that may seem unimportant but that ought to be of great significance for a renewed Organization is cultural heritage, because the mosaic of our world's cultural diversity is threatened, especially in situations of war.

We must reinforce and safeguard the evidence of our past, which is essential to understanding our present and building our future.

We have worked very hard in Guatemala to implement the care of our heritage and the exposure to the world of our millenary cultural wealth, and with satisfaction and pride we can say that the celebration of Holy Week was declared Intangible Heritage of Humanity.

Furthermore, I would like to tell you that yesterday the Tak'alik Ab'aj National Archaeological Park was declared a World Heritage Site, which is considered the first city from which Mayan civilization originated.

As an old saying goes, "He who does not know his past has no assured future."

Mr. President:

Guatemala has always been characterized by calling for respect for the coexistence of international law and respect for sovereignty.

We have worked on this through action, and it has been demonstrated that differences can indeed be resolved through international justice bodies, as is the case of our territorial, maritime and insular dispute with Belize, in which both countries are committed to resolving, peacefully and respectfully, whatever the International Court of Justice decides in this regard.

Dear friends, the goodwill between the parties, as has been demonstrated between Belize and Guatemala, is an example of how a peaceful solution can be reached through international justice, in contrast to war over international conflicts as a consequence of human stubbornness.

Mr. President:

Guatemala recognizes that one of the greatest and most alarming threats to life and freedom in our time is human trafficking, which is not only a despicable act that violates human rights, but a true crime against humanity, that violates the most basic values to which we cling as a community of nations.

This is a crime linked to slavery, considering that it practices the buying and selling of human beings, who should live in freedom, as a fundamental right of life.

That is why, in the most unequivocal way, my country condemns this crime, and it is in this spirit that we have adopted a series of legal and political measures to suppress it.

We have a public policy against violence, exploitation and human trafficking, which harmonizes and optimizes State actions to guarantee comprehensive protection and care for victims of human trafficking.

Likewise, it promotes the prevention, detection, prosecution and punishment of this abhorrent crime.

Along the same lines, we have a policy for the comprehensive protection of children and adolescents, focused on guaranteeing the comprehensive, equitable and inclusive development of children and adolescents.

This policy, adopted in 2022, brings together more than 90 programs from institutions of the Executive Branch for the development of human beings at all stages of their lives.

Guatemala, through these various initiatives, seeks to stand out in the fight against human trafficking, considering that this practice has surpassed the number of people in situations of slavery compared to past eras, which is why it is our priority to stop these scourges against human dignity and against people.

I must remind you that the amount of profits generated by human trafficking already exceeds that of the international arms trade and, at this rate, will soon reach the amount generated by illicit drug trafficking. Children torn from their homes, handed over to gangs that prostitute them, and who, after ceasing to be fresh meat for these criminals, are butchered and their organs sold for transplants. Let us not continue with an indifferent and callous attitude in the face of these horrifying crimes.

Mr. President:

This is my last speech before this General Assembly as Head of State, and unlike the falsehood we have heard today, I will hand over power to whoever was elected by the sovereign majority will of the people of Guatemala, next January 14.

An electoral event that was marked by unnecessary acts of international interference, because our democracy may not be perfect, but it has been a democracy that has allowed us the principle of alternation in power, respect for the Constitution, and on a continent where some presidents fight to remain and cling to their posts, allowing reelections even against their own constitutions, in Guatemala the principle of alternation is fully honored, every 4 years.

To conclude:

In the United Nations we face the greatest challenge in history.

A challenge that needs us strong, that needs us united, that needs us ready for action.

World peace, which for years we took for granted, today renews the need for a great international pact, a great pact beyond differences, beyond colors, beyond countries and latitudes, a great pact that once again puts people at the center, citizens as protagonists, people as the ultimate goal.

Stopping wars is a utopia, today it is the great imperative.

Whatever you believe, let us fight for peace. Wherever you are from, let us fight for peace. However it may be, let us fight for peace.

Or perhaps one day we will wake up invaded or killed by others.

That is why let us come together, let us make every effort, so that one day all citizens of the world may wake up in a climate of peace, progress and development.

Thank you very much.