YouSaid · the spoken record

José Miguel Insulza

lines on the record: 73
first: 1996-09-24
most recent: 1998-09-24
sittings or episodes: 3
sources: un-general-debate

Every line below is reproduced as it was said and linked to the record it came from. Nothing here is summarised or generated. Directory · Search · Corrections

“25 We must stress the negative impact of the veto mechanism, which should be regulated and progressively reduced with a view to its gradual elimination in the long term. A first step in this direction might be to amend the Charter so that the right of veto can be applied only to actions taken by the Council under Chapter VII. I should like to conclude by expressing our optimism with regard to the future of the Organization. I hope that the Millennium Assembly, to which we have lent our full support, will be the expression of a renewed and much stronger United Nations as we enter the new century.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“Frankly, we would prefer to sacrifice some of the urgency of such reforms rather than participate in a decision-making process which, lacking the support of the vast majority of members, could give rise to serious divisions between us. Furthermore, my Government believes that enlargement of the Council, important though it may be from the standpoint of enhancing its representativeness and legitimacy, is not of itself sufficient to endow the Council with the qualities required by its role as the guarantor of international peace and security. At the same time, measures must be adopted with regard to its working methods, particularly in relation to transparency, with which every one of its actions should be imbued and which should not be challenged.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“It is our hope that that meeting will be able to conclude with the adoption of new initiatives at the national and international level that will allow further progress to be made in the process of implementing the agreements reached at the Summit. The process of reforming and democratizing the Security Council is one of the most important of the many objectives we have set ourselves in the context of the process of renewing the United Nations. The Council must reflect the new international realities. It needs to be enlarged to remedy, among other things, the unjustified under-representation of the developing countries in that body. Nevertheless, the arduous process of reform in which we are engaged calls for broad-based majority support. It will be possible only with solid and substantive consensus.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“It is essential that the General Assembly conduct periodic reviews of the commitments made on these issues at the summit meetings and conferences, as is to happen in the case of the International Conference on Population and Development, which is to be reviewed next June, and the Fourth World Conference on Women, the review of which will take place in the year 2000. We also attach special importance to the special session of the General Assembly to be convened in the year 2000 for the purpose of reviewing compliance with the commitments of the Social Summit. Chile has had the honour of presiding over the preparatory committee for that special session.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“The summits and conferences on economic and social issues that have been held within the framework of the United Nations during the 1990s have reaffirmed our Organization?s priority commitment to development. Likewise, those events have provided conceptual tools and ideas that are of great value for drawing up public policies for achieving economically, socially and environmentally sustainable development. The eradication of poverty must continue to be a central objective. The same is true of the promotion of human rights, gender equality and protection of the environment.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“Three years ago, when we celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of the United Nations, Member States assumed a commitment to unite our efforts to reform and democratize the structures of the Organization, with a view to the new and complex challenges we shall have to face in an increasingly changing international scene. This session of the General Assembly has the task of taking up important pending aspects of that reform. The adoption of resolution 52/12 constitutes an important first step down the long road to reform. We are also encouraged by the changes that are being introduced in the Economic and Social Council. The introduction of new methods and programmes and the incorporation into its agenda of a segment on humanitarian affairs will contribute to its renewal.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“Chile is convinced that the United Nations peacekeeping forces can be identified as the Organization?s most effective mechanism for preventing and resolving international conflicts. We are aware that peacekeeping operations designed to take action in crises and conflicts between States have been faced with major challenges during the present decade. Nevertheless, for all the well- known limitations, the experience built up over the past three years can be regarded as promising for the future. Many more human lives could be saved through United Nations peacekeeping operations, were we able to strengthen them effectively. My Government wishes to express its firm resolve to continue cooperating, actively and frequently, in the activities of this important instrument of the Organization.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“In the exercise of the responsibility entrusted to us by the international community, my Government sought in every action it took to contribute to the maintenance of international peace and security and to fully assume the humanitarian 24 responsibility placed upon the Security Council in its activities. We have always believed that this responsibility should be manifested in the protection of the humanitarian workers in conflict zones, in the ongoing presence of the United Nations and its specialized agencies subsequent to the ending of hostilities so as to build peace effectively and in the focused application of sanctions that are adopted so that they will not affect innocent civilians.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“We believe that it must continue to be expanded and intensified in the years to come. Of course, Chile is fully prepared to continue participating in this task. In the context of our participation in the United Nations, I wish to express my gratitude to the Member States, as well as to the employers? and workers? groups of the International Labour Organization (ILO), for the singular confidence placed in Chile and its Ambassador to the United Nations, Mr. Juan Somav'a, by electing him Director-General of the ILO, beginning in March 1999. My Government wishes to express its profound satisfaction at having been a part of the Security Council during the biennium 1996-1997.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“The campaign against drug-trafficking and other forms of organized crime can be truly effective only when it takes place in a context of strong and genuine regional and worldwide cooperation. Chile supports the implementation of the decisions adopted at the twentieth special session of the General Assembly, on the world drug problem, decisions which can serve as a basis for a common regulatory system and effective multilateral cooperation. The fight against international terrorism, which has perpetrated such reprehensible acts this year, also requires a much more effective international cooperation. Such dramatic issues as the treatment of refugees and combating hunger fall fully within the scope of multilateral activity. My country attaches great importance to this function of our Organization.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“In this context, we are extremely pleased to know that the Treaty on the elimination of anti-personnel landmines has entered into force with the completion of the first 40 ratifications. Chile hopes to complete its process of legislative approval shortly in order to be able to ratify this important instrument. For these same reasons, we adopted this morning, together with other countries, a declaration supporting the ad hoc group in its work to strengthen the verification and monitoring mechanisms of the Biological Weapons Convention. Chile strongly favours the process of establishing new international regimes, whether regional or global, to confront these and other challenges. The United Nations plays a vital role in this field.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“Recent events in this field, such as the nuclear tests carried out in South Asia, which my Government deeply deplores, highlight the urgent need to enhance the validity and universal application of instruments such as the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) and the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT). We must take responsibility for the danger of nuclear proliferation and urge the parties concerned not to repeat such actions, and we must renew our calls on all States to sign and ratify the international instruments designed to eliminate the nuclear threat. Accordingly, we welcome Brazil?s recent accession to the Non-Proliferation Treaty. We must also make efforts to develop and improve our instruments for regulating the manufacture, trade and use of conventional weapons.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“Chile has committed itself to participate actively in the launching of the Court. This institution has been a long-standing aspiration, and many recent events have made it essential. It will contribute to the strengthening of the international human rights regime, the progressive development of international humanitarian law, the prevention of mass violations and the fight against impunity in cases of genocide or crimes against humanity. The subject of disarmament also continues to be one of the most vital issues on the international agenda.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“For Chile, the universality of human rights means assuming the intrinsic dignity of all inhabitants of the planet, regardless of their culture, religion, social status, ethnic origin, gender or traditions. Neither lack of development nor cultural characteristics can be invoked to justify limiting the human rights recognized in a Declaration to which we have all subscribed. In this context, the recently approved International Labour Organization Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work and its Follow-up is an important step forward in strengthening the basic rights of workers throughout the world. This new international regime must be promoted by the entire multilateral system. A few days ago, I had the great honour of signing in Rome, on behalf of my Government, the Statute of the International Criminal Court.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“Protection of the environment has an undoubtedly international dimension, in that issues as vital to our future as climate change, pollution and over-exploitation of the seas, depletion of the ozone layer and the advance of desertification all call for global treatment. The promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms constitute an inescapable 23 responsibility of the United Nations. The fiftieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the fifth anniversary of the World Conference on Human Rights, held in Vienna, constitute opportunities to renew our concern for and commitment to the values and principles embodied in the Declaration and the agreements adopted at the Conference.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“The emergence of a new worldwide awareness, the enlargement of the international agenda and the need to deal collectively with the problems of interdependence provide an impetus for the adoption of new international regimes. Examples of the progress achieved in cooperative multilateralism include the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, the Antarctic Treaty, international humanitarian law, the Uruguay Round agreements that led to the creation of the World Trade Organization and the set of regimes relating to arms control and disarmament in general. Human rights have ceased to be an issue reserved exclusively for the sovereignty of countries, and have become a universal concern that no Government can ignore.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“Our Presidents are concerned about the possibility that the crisis will become more acute, and accordingly they urge the countries in which it arose to take the necessary measures to correct their imbalances; the countries of the Group of Seven to take action to restore the stability of financial markets and ensure the growth of the world economy; and the international financial institutions to involve themselves more rapidly and effectively in resolving the crisis. There is also a need to prevent a mishandling of the crisis or half-way measures leading to the reproduction or even accentuation of the inequities that characterize the current international system, which not only postpone access to progress and encourage despair, but also pose a serious and constant threat to international peace and security.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“President Frei's Government has adopted stringent adjustment measures in order to reduce public and private expenditure, avoid an upsurge of inflation, and, at the same time, maintain social investment and protect Chileans? jobs. This permits us — as the Heads of State and Government of our region did when they met on 5 September at the Twelfth Rio Group Summit — to call on all to discharge their responsibilities in this respect, as we have discharged our own.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“All of this has taken place in a context of great openness to the outside world and a regional integration process conducted with a view to promoting open regionalism. It has also taken place in the context of an increasing expansion of social investment, whose benefits for the most vulnerable sectors of the population are apparent in the high indicators achieved by Chile in this Organization?s latest Human Development Report. However, despite these significant achievements we have also had to face in recent months problems that we share with many countries in our region, stemming from the global financial crisis and the difficulties created in some of our main export markets.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“We have a great opportunity to grasp fully the integrated nature of these problems and define genuinely coordinated policies in order to solve them. This is a task in which the entire international community must participate. The Latin American countries have assumed their responsibilities for building sound economies with increasingly low levels of inflation, progressively decreasing their budget deficits and reducing unemployment and indebtedness. What Chile has done in this respect is recognized, and has been frequently praised in recent years. In little over a decade, Chile has doubled the size of its economy. This year, 1998, will be our twelfth year of uninterrupted growth. For eight years we have been constantly reducing inflation and unemployment, with a financial surplus and high domestic and external savings rates.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“This necessitates an in-depth review of the current structures of the world financial system in order to adapt them to the new challenges of internationalization. Otherwise, we shall always be vulnerable to upheavals like the present ones, and to setbacks in those parts of the world that are affected. Obviously, no agency of the multilateral system, on its own and using only its own methods, is in a position to bring certainty and stability to the current crisis. In the search for solutions, we need to combine different approaches and concerns: financial order, growth of international trade, effective social security networks, promotion of investment and growth, and respect for workers, among others.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“It is obvious that this process gives rise to legitimate uncertainties and concern in the context of the financial upheavals that, having started in the Asia/Pacific region, now affect the whole world. The need for more effective and concerted action by the main international economic Powers and the specialized 22 agencies to deal with these situations is becoming increasingly apparent. The need to reshape the global financial architecture is becoming ever more obvious. It seems clear that there is a need for greater coordination regarding the international community?s institutional capabilities to deal with situations like the present one. The world has experienced similar situations before, but they now take place in a context of much greater interdependence.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“His vision of the necessary reform of this Organization, as well as his dedication to the solution of important international problems, gives us great satisfaction. We encourage him to persevere in pursuit of the goals he has set himself. Globalization, interdependence and regional integration are phenomena that characterize present-day international realities. The experience of many countries, Chile among them, shows that greater participation in the world economy, if appropriately channelled, can constitute a key element in the economic growth and prosperity of countries. Nevertheless, these phenomena, whose logic and dynamics are universal in scope, still offer ambivalent and contradictory lessons and meanings, depending on their magnitude and the effects they are causing in the different parts of the world.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“Allow me to congratulate you, Sir, on behalf of the Government of Chile and in my personal capacity, on your election as President of the fifty-third session of the General Assembly, which represents a deserved tribute to your political skills and diplomatic career, as well as a recognition of your country?s commitment to the work of the United Nations. It gives us very special pleasure because you are a national of Uruguay, a Latin American country that is especially close to Chile, and with which, in addition, we are cooperating closely in the Rio Group and the Southern Cone Common Market (MERCOSUR). We also congratulate the Secretary-General on the leadership he has demonstrated since he took up his duties.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“This seems to us an innovation will have far-reaching consequences for the Organization. We also support the idea of reallocating savings to economic and social activities through the establishment of a development account. 28 We have focused our statement on the great task of reform, which is difficult, complex and full of potential as well as of problems. We are determined to find the solutions that the United Nations requires if it is to discharge all its mandates and satisfy the demands and aspirations of an international community that is anxious to place in the Organization great hopes for the future. We are determined not to let this opportunity to restructure and renew the United Nations pass us by. The full cooperation of the Chilean delegation can be counted on in this effort.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“A series of measures have been recommended to us that are designed to make more flexible the procedures for deliberations in the General Assembly, to reduce the length of meetings, apply a thematic approach to topical issues, overcome delays and enable us to concentrate on the most essential matters. While technically these proposals appear to relate more to formal than to substantive aspects, we know that in fact they will not be simple or merely procedural decisions. In reality, their aim is to promote the capacity of this Organization to build consensus, so as to arrive at concise decisions in the shortest possible time. On financial matters, we endorse the proposal for results-based budgeting, with few institutional mechanisms having a major strategic impact.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“As the Secretary-General himself has stated, they constitute an essential component of international peace and security. Any measure that contributes to strengthening the ability of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to take action will receive the firm support of the Chilean delegation. Similarly, we strongly support the initiatives by the Secretary-General with regard to the proposals for interaction between civil society and private enterprise, which have become major actors at both the national and international levels. The time has come for civil society, including the business community, to participate in the United Nations at a level that reflects the contribution that it has been making for some time.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“At the same time, the reform process must assign special importance to measures and mechanisms designed to accelerate economic and social development, especially in Africa, by supporting domestic efforts at economic restructuring, diversification of raw materials and increased food security being carried out by the countries of the region. We welcome the proposals designed to strengthen the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, both institutionally and substantively, since they seem to us to be of great importance for the future development of the Organization. The protection and promotion of human rights and fundamental freedoms, together with democracy and equitable growth, are the three pillars of present-day international society.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“This new integrated approach, in which the funds and programmes will retain their autonomy, will contribute to the necessary cohesion and reduce the natural tendency towards divergence between the multidisciplinary agencies represented, thereby strengthening their activities. It also seems to us essential to evaluate the subsidiary bodies in greater depth, using as the main criteria their relevance and effectiveness, and to take the appropriate decisions. Accordingly, we are concerned by the recommendation to merge the Commissions on Narcotic Drugs and on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, since that would run the risk of limiting treatment of the problem of narcotic drugs merely to its criminal dimension, losing sight, in the process, of elements that are an inherent part of the drug issue, such as education and prevention.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“In this connection, the establishment of a substantive secretariat of the Economic and Social Council seems to us an interesting proposal. Furthermore, the reform process should leave room for the progressive regionalization that is taking place within the United Nations system. In the review of the regional commissions to be carried out by the Economic and Social Council, there is a need to find mechanisms which, without affecting the regional mandates of each commission, can contribute to the definition and regional implementation of the major agreements and consensuses reached by the major conferences sponsored by the United Nations system over the past decade. We are following with interest the proposal to give to the Resident Coordinator of the Secretary-General authority over all United Nations bodies in the field.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“This is perhaps one of the main aspects of the reform process we have embarked upon. Accordingly, it is essential to proceed further with the reorientation and restructuring of the Economic and Social Council in order to coordinate both the agencies and its subsidiary bodies so that it may engage in executive interaction with the functions of the General Assembly. In that way, it can regain its leadership position as a flexible and efficient organ and contribute effectively to answering the challenges on the economic and social agenda of the Organization. 27 Given this mandate of the Economic and Social Council, its future relationship with the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund will be extremely important.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“Only through flexible and efficient management will we be able to give new impetus to the Organization and provide it with the proper tools for the true modernization the international community demands. Reform is not intrinsically an exercise in cutting costs or reducing staff. Its aim is to ensure a real and growing increase in the political effectiveness of the United Nations, from the Security Council and the way it deals with and resolves present-day conflicts in today's world to the Economic and Social Council and the development agencies. Many of the problems facing the Organization result from the fact that Member States have been remiss in responding to the need to adapt intergovernmental machinery to the new requirements of the international situation.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“In this connection, we agree with the Secretary- General's statement that the major source of institutional weakness in the United Nations is the fact that over the course of the past half century certain of its organizational features have tended to become fragmented, duplicated and rigid, resulting in their ineffectiveness in some areas and superfluity in others. As Chile sees it, the main obstacle to the reform process has been the fear of change that exists in the Organization, which has paralysed the process since it began here in the General Assembly four years ago. The time has come for all of us, the Secretariat and Member States alike, to show proudly our collective creativity, courage and realistic inventiveness. The period of bureaucratization in the United Nations must give way to the era of creation.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“We are aware that the reform process is not confined to the Security Council. The Secretary-General has told us clearly and lucidly that we are facing the most extensive and farthest-reaching reforms in the 52 years of this Organization's history. Accordingly, we welcome his comprehensive report of last July, entitled, "Renewing the United Nations: A programme for reform". We agree with his proposals aimed at transforming the leadership and management structure of the United Nations so as to enable it to act with greater unity of purpose, coherence and agility in tackling the problems. We wish to convey to the Secretary-General and his colleagues our gratitude for the report, which the General Assembly will have to analyse in depth, and Chile will contribute to the debate with interest and dedication and in an open spirit of consensus.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“We have noted the progress made by the Council in devising sanctions, as in the case of resolution 1072 (1996) on the situation in Burundi and the one recently adopted on UNITA in Angola, which are indeed capable of yielding the desired results without harming innocent populations. Lastly, Chile has attached special importance to African affairs while a member of the Security Council. We believed it important to assist the Council in taking decisions on the problems that region is facing at this historic moment when African countries are assuming their own responsibilities for regional problems, as has been apparent in the Organization of African Unity initiative in the Arusha process and the activities of the Economic Community of West African States, among others.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“The strengthening of this aspect of the Council's work was one of the main issues in which Chile participated. Motivated by our concern about this matter, we proposed a mechanism that establishes the modalities by which the Council communicates with the humanitarian agencies working in the field. Similarly, Chile has been particularly concerned that countries that have experienced severe conflicts should not be abandoned by the system once conflict ends. We have therefore insisted on the need for a United Nations presence in the field when peace-building gives way to overall reconstruction and development activities. With respect to sanctions, it has been demonstrated that, where authoritarian Governments are concerned, broad sanction regimes merely penalize the population without bringing about political change.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“As a preliminary conclusion, I would like to emphasize that the rich contribution of the non-permanent members of the Council provides genuine balance and enables the Council to renew itself over time. Our experience has been a rewarding one, and we have sought to focus our contribution, beyond our natural interest in issues relating to the Latin American region, on a number 26 of areas in which welcome progress has been made, to which Chile has made an effective contribution. We welcome the important progress the Council has made regarding its responsibility in the humanitarian sphere, which has necessarily become a major aspect of the maintenance of international peace and security. This is the foundation of the presidential statement issued by the Council on the protection of humanitarian workers.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“The question of the veto will also have to be discussed in greater depth, taking into account many factors, such as legal ones relating to Charter obligations and the evolution of modern international law, and political ones, such as the evolution of the international situation, which are today very different from those prevailing at the time the United Nations came into being. The outgoing President of the General Assembly has made some very interesting proposals in this regard, which need to be carefully considered by Member States. Chile is concluding this year, with a sense of satisfaction, its participation in the Security Council after an absence of more than 30 years. Our decision to participate was motivated by the need to assume our international responsibilities, and we did so in the conviction that we could make a contribution.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“These are undoubtedly attractive since they include a larger number of countries, but they could impair the effectiveness of the Council and increase tensions between permanent and non-permanent members. As far as the Latin American and Caribbean region is concerned, its fundamental responsibility is to fill its seats through a process that gives its members legal validity and political legitimacy. In this process, consideration must be given to all the possibilities that will allow for appropriate regional representation. Chile is prepared to accept any formula that reflects this. Serious consideration must be given to the possibility that only one of its members will occupy the permanent seat allocated to the region.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“Chile shares in the broad base of agreement on allowing the entry of Germany and Japan as permanent members of the Security Council. Nevertheless, there is also a conviction that this can take place only in the context of suitable regional representation, including other permanent members from Asia, Africa and Latin America. We support a process of regional consultation and consensus to fill these seats. This, however, does not exclude a possible role for the General Assembly in case there is an absence of regional agreement. In this connection, the Assembly will have to analyse carefully the proposals that have been put forward regarding rotation.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“In that Declaration we expressed the great importance we attach to the process of expanding and reforming the Security Council, which must result in a broad general agreement that will make it possible to correct the imbalances in its current composition, improve the decision- making mechanisms, make the conduct of its work more transparent and represent with greater legitimacy all States Members of the Organization. With regard to the total number of members of the Security Council, we believe that a membership of up to 25 would not impair its effectiveness, provided that the expansion met the requirements of responding properly to the increase in United Nations Member States since the last reform of the Charter and the undeniably growing importance of developing countries.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“My Government considers that any future composition of the Council must combine the requirements of its effectiveness with the need for an equitable representation of the developing countries that properly reflects the increase in the number of Members in the past 50 years. Where these fundamental issues are concerned, Chile supports and endorses the content of the Declaration on the strengthening of the United Nations and the reform of the Security Council issued by the Heads of State or Government at the eleventh summit of the Rio Group in Asunción, Paraguay, on 24 August of this year.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“We reiterate once again the desirability of revising the composition of the Security Council and its working methods. In this connection, we appreciate the arduous work conducted by the Working Group on this issue, which has served to clarify the various positions and to allow a proper appraisal of this enormously complex subject. I wish especially to pay tribute to the outgoing President of the General Assembly, Mr. Razali Ismail of Malaysia, for his keen sense of responsibility and his courage in taking the initiative to make specific proposals on these matters in order to ease the difficulties encountered within the Working Group and make it possible to analyse and discuss them in specific terms.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“The new international reality makes it essential for States to act together so as to confront energetically and resolutely the problems of the environment, organized crime, arms control, human rights, democratization, poverty, unemployment, social fragmentation and many other issues. Chile has consistently contributed to the Organization and, to the limits of its ability to do so, will continue to lend its strong support to the great work of the United Nations in all its forums. I wish to speak first of the issue of the Security Council and its reform process. I stressed before the General Assembly last year the importance of greater involvement by Member States in the decisions of the Security Council in order to strengthen its legitimacy and 25 give it the necessary political backing for the actions it undertakes.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“With the United Nations having completed more than 50 years of existence, we need new ways to view the world, without forgetting the many achievements made and the valuable experience gained both from successes and from failures. This is an appropriate time for us to renew our commitment to multilateralism as the guiding principle of international relations and the essential tool to resolve crises and problems that are beyond the ability of any State, however important or powerful it may be, to resolve on its own. This is particularly important in the face of a growing unilateralism that has recently emerged as a feature of the international scene.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“It is with particular pleasure that I extend to you, Mr. President, my sincerest congratulations, and those of my Government, on your election as President of the General Assembly. Your election will ensure that the business of the General Assembly will be conducted skilfully, impartially and very efficiently at this important moment for the General Assembly, when it will have to make decisions that may be vital to the future of our Organization. The General Assembly session that we are now beginning is a particularly important one in that its purpose is to ensure that in the future multilateral activity will be assured of validity, effectiveness and credibility.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“This means we are willing to consider other proposals by other Member States that also seek to combine the two fundamental elements that should guide our decision: recognition of the new international realities and a legitimate desire for representativity in the principal bodies of our system. We wished to touch upon those issues that, in Chile’s view, will be the Organization’s main tasks in the years to come, with a view to establishing the framework of stability and legitimacy necessary to achieve United Nations objectives. Chile commits its firm support to this difficult understanding, which will be attainable with the will and participation of all members of the international community.”
1996-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 51 (1996)
“We think there is a broad base of agreement for allowing Germany and Japan to become permanent members of the Council, and at the same time for giving developing countries one permanent seat per region, the occupants of which would be elected at the regional level. Also, in order to meet the need for representativity, given the great increase in membership of the United Nations in the last decade, the number of non-permanent seats should be increased from 10 to 15, with appropriate equitable geographical distribution. A membership of twenty-five members would not undermine the effectiveness of the Security Council but would enhance the representativity of its actions. However, we wish to emphasize that Chile is willing to act with maximum flexibility here.”
1996-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 51 (1996)
“Improving the working methods of the Security Council has opened up additional ways of enhancing its credibility. There has been progress, but much remains to be done, particularly in connection with consultations with countries that contribute troops to peacekeeping operations, consultations with countries neighbouring a conflict area that might be affected, and third States that are negatively affected by the application of sanctions. A second determining factor of legitimacy and political support for Council decisions relates to its membership. In this connection, Chile believes it essential to resolve once and for all the problems of increasing the membership of the Security Council, which have concerned the Assembly since 1992.”
1996-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 51 (1996)
“There is quite a contradiction between saying that we need an Organization adapted to the new challenges and focused on the next century, and then reducing the practical debate simply to cost-cutting and better control of resources. We have to enhance administrative efficiency, but we must also appreciate substantive effectiveness. Our objective should be to strengthen the Organization as well as to streamline it. Before concluding, I cannot fail to mention a question of reform on this year's agenda that is more urgent than it was in previous years. The plethora of decisions taken by the Security Council has resulted in a growing desire on the part of the other Members of the United Nations to be more involved in Council decisions, so as to strengthen its legitimacy and the political support for its actions.”
1996-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 51 (1996)