YouSaid · the spoken record

Sebastián Piñera Echenique

lines on the record: 155
first: 2010-09-24
most recent: 2020-09-24
sittings or episodes: 6
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

“Together we will continue to build a country where it is good to be born, grow, study, work, raise a family and age — a common home, the home of all Chileans, where we can think differently, respect each other and together build a country and a better future that we can leave with pride and hope to successive generations.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“In addition, we are making progress in the energies of tomorrow, developing green hydrogen, which, as a fuel that does not generate greenhouse-gas emissions, will benefit the whole world. The abundance of copper and lithium gives us great potential in terms of electromobility. Fifthly, Chile is connecting South America with Oceania and Asia through the trans-Pacific fibre-optic cable, which will promote regional integration, innovation and digital society. Sixthly, we are producing healthy and safe food to supply tables around the world with multiple products. Chile and the rest of the world have just lived through the hardest and most challenging months in recent history. I am sure that Chile will once again manifest the noble and supportive soul of our country and prove the resilience and mettle of its people.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“The unique combination of high peaks, low humidity and clear skies has meant that 70 per cent of the world’s astronomical observation capacity is located in our country. Thirdly, we are creating marine protected areas. With pride and effort, more than 42 per cent of Chile’s sea is protected. Further, 21 per cent of our land areas is protected, through parks, reserves and national monuments. Fourthly, we are developing the energies of the future. Chile was poor in fossil fuels and the pollutants of the past, but we are immensely rich in the clean and renewable energies of the future. The high solar radiation of our deserts gives them gigantic potential for generating solar energy. The intensity and regularity of the winds allow for high capacity in generating wind energy.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“It is a country with a strong vocation for collaboration and international integration, a country where we always ask ourselves how we can, together with other nations, contribute to making the world a home with greater freedom, peace, prosperity and justice and where the environment is protected. That is why Chile contributes to the international community in many ways. First, Chile contributes by caring for and protecting the Antarctic, which is the largest freshwater reserve in the world and plays a fundamental role in combating climate change and mitigating temperature increase and ice melt. It is also a true natural laboratory for science. Secondly, Chile contributes to the development of astronomy.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“It is also an opportunity to better connect with our citizens and move forward with greater strength and urgency towards a freer and more just society, with greater equality of opportunity, where everyone is equal in dignity and equal before the law, and where progress and development are more inclusive and sustainable. We must learn from the lessons of the past that have taught us the value of unity, dialogue, collaboration and agreement. After all, a house divided cannot prevail. We must also act with a sense of urgency because we have no time to lose and because there will be no social justice without growth and development, and no growth and development without social justice. Chile is a country proud of its history, traditions and identity.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“We will make every effort to ensure that there is no impunity in Chile, neither for those who violate human rights nor for the violators who attack society. In these difficult times, when our democracy has been threatened, our Government proposed — and Chile opted for — an institutional and peaceful solution to the conflict through constitutional reform that gave rise to a process that will begin this 25 October with a citizen plebiscite. I am convinced that the immense majority of Chileans want to perfect, modernize or change our Constitution. In the 25 October plebiscite, the citizens will democratically choose the way forward. This crisis is an opportunity to reach a constitutional agreement that will allow our Constitution to be a great framework of unity and stability and of projection into the future.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“To support and facilitate their task of autonomously protecting human rights, we granted our National Human Rights Institute and the Office of the Children’s Ombudsperson full logistical support and access, upon their request, to all police, hospital and prison facilities, inter alia. We invited the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Inter- American Commission on Human Rights to monitor the situation in the country. All evidence of abuse or excessive use of force was placed at the disposal of the Office of the Prosecutor, which by constitutional mandate has the duty to investigate the facts and bring them, when appropriate, to the Courts of Justice so that they may be judged and sanctioned in accordance with the law, as befits a democracy and the rule of law.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“During these difficult and violent months, while exercising our duty to restore public order and safeguard citizen security, for which we had to resort to the States of Constitutional Exception provided for in our Constitution, our Government took all possible and necessary measures and precautions to guarantee respect for the human rights of all. We applied strict norms to regulate the use of force by the police, in full compliance with international human rights standards. We adopted a policy of full transparency to our citizens in terms of human rights-related information, and we strengthened the public defender system.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“The Government listened to those demands carefully, with sensitivity and with a sense of urgency, and quickly put in place a new social agenda to address them and promote solutions. Unfortunately, alongside demonstrations, our country also experienced a huge and unexpected outbreak of violence, fires, riots, destruction and crime, which respected nothing and no one, and gravely harmed Chile’s body and soul. In a democracy, we cannot tolerate any form of violence, be it physical or through social networks. Violence, threats and intolerance are incompatible with a democratic society, which must always be based on respect, dialogue and the peaceful resolution of disputes.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“However, over the past 30 years, we have not been able to leverage our growth potential to reduce inequalities, stop abuses, move towards equal opportunity or improve services in such important areas as education, welfare and health. Late last year, important social movements emerged in Chile and in other countries of our region and the world. In Chile, citizens of all ages and sectors took to the streets to demand better pensions, better health and better education. They also demanded fewer inequalities, improved and more affordable public services, greater equality before the law and better control of abusive behaviour. Despite certain progress, those demands had been accumulating for decades.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“We reduced poverty from more than 60 per cent to less than 10 per cent, saving 8 million Chileans, more than half of our population, from the clutches of poverty. A large and diverse middle class emerged. Life expectancy increased, infant mortality decreased and the coverage, quality and access to education at all levels rose from 230,000 to 1.2 million students in higher education, most of them first generation. These achievements are the result of the work of many Governments and various political movements, which committed themselves to the mission of defeating poverty and achieving development in democracy and peace.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“That freedom and responsibility are especially needed in times of crisis, which tend to foment populism. In recent times, our region, too, has seen social outbreaks and waves of violence. Chile is no exception. Thirty years ago, with the firm will and commitment of our people, we peacefully regained our democracy and gave life to a new and modern republic based on three basic agreements: first, a deep commitment to democracy, the rule of law and the protection of human rights; secondly, a strong commitment to a free, open and competitive market economy; and thirdly, the firm determination to defeat poverty and promote equal opportunity. The facts show that these commitments were productive. During this period, we increased our per capita income fivefold.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“One example of where those principles are constantly violated is the tragic situation in Venezuela — a country suffering the most serious political, social, economic and humanitarian crisis in its history. The best solution to the Venezuelan crisis is the establishment of a transitional Government and the holding of free and democratic elections so that the Venezuelan people may freely choose their rulers and the path to follow. The whole world is being threatened by populism and irresponsibility, which always means the easy way — the path of rights without duties and achievements without effort, of progress without work, of asserting one’s rights without respecting those of others, and of promises of easy solutions to difficult problems. Democracies are founded on freedom, and freedom demands responsibility.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“And we are behind in joining the technological and digital revolution, which has ushered in the knowledge and information society. We are undoubtedly making efforts to make up for lost time. Eight years ago, we created the Pacific Alliance, which is a regional benchmark for economic integration. A year ago, we created the Forum for the Progress and Development of South America, a body for coordination and collaboration among the democratic countries of South America, which has been very helpful in responding to the coronavirus pandemic. However, we have also had setbacks that threaten freedom, human rights, democracy, the rule of law and our quality of life.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“I want to share with the Assembly some reflections on our region of Latin America, which has all it needs to be a developed region — vast and generous territories and abundant and multiple natural resources. We have not seen the wars that destroyed Europe last century or the religious conflicts that have caused so much damage throughout history. And yet, despite the important progress made in many fields, we remain an underdeveloped continent, with almost one-third of our population living in poverty — a scourge that the coronavirus crisis will significantly worsen. We have not been able to take full advantage of the talents and opportunities of our people. We have not been able to move towards true regional integration.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“Lastly, we will ensure the protection of our forests and promote biodiversity and reforestation, favouring native species and nature-based solutions. In order to successfully fulfil that mission we are building a true Climate Ambition Alliance, incorporating the State, the private sector, civil society and our citizens. We are also replacing throwaway culture with the culture of recycling and are moving from a linear to a circular economy. We have eliminated plastic bags and have already prevented the production of 5 billion bags — used for only minutes — from polluting our planet for centuries. This is the great challenge of our generation — to make up for lost time and change the course of history to ensure the survival and quality of life of human beings on planet Earth.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“We have assumed the commitment to transforming Chile into a carbon-neutral country by 2050, with zero net emissions, which we will accomplish through several actions. The first is the total closure of coal-fired plants before 2040. Today, 44 per cent of our energy sources are clean and renewable, and by 2030 we will reach 70 per cent. Secondly, we will focus on electromobility. We are replacing the fossil fuels in our transportation system with electricity or other clean fuels. By 2040, 100 per cent of our urban public transport will be electric. Outside of China, our capital city now has the most electric buses in the world. Thirdly, we will promote energy efficiency in all sectors and special tariffs to gradually replace wood heating with electric heating.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“And the most serious thing is that these changes used to take millions of years. Now they occur in just decades. The time for diagnoses is over. The time for action is here. Chile is fully committed to fighting climate change, which has inspired and mobilized millions of citizens. We were one of the first 10 countries to significantly enhance our nationally determined contribution, thereby fulfilling the commitments we undertook in the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. We are moving forward with a framework law on climate change, already unanimously approved by the Senate, which sets the goal of carbon neutrality by 2050 and lays out strategies, plans and instruments to meet that goal.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“But they are also the only creatures capable of destroying their own planet. Let us tell it as it is. The threat of global warming is real and imminent. Science has spoken loud and clear. Citizenship demands a change of course as a moral imperative, technology provides us with the necessary tools, and common sense urges us to action. The scientific evidence is categorical — the concentration of greenhouse gases and the current average temperature are the highest in the past 800,000 years. We are being ravaged by intense heat waves, large floods, intense periods of drought and powerful hurricanes. In addition, we are suffering from severe landslides and melting ice at the poles, ocean pollution, sea-level increases, fires and forest destruction and many other worrisome phenomena.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“Despite all the scientific and technological advances made, this virus has taught us the vulnerability and precariousness of human life and our societies. Secondly, to learn to listen more attentively to the voices of science, local authorities and civil society, and always be ready to change course when necessary. Thirdly, the value of the family, which has been the main sustenance in facing and overcoming the consequences of this time of adversity. CLIMATE CHANGE AND GLOBAL WARMING The coronavirus pandemic and global economic recession have shifted the spotlight away from climate change and global warming. But these serious threats continue to increase, and our best option is without a doubt to confront them simultaneously. Human beings are the most intelligent and ingenious creatures on planet Earth.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“To promote free trade and integration, combat protectionism, eliminate non-tariff barriers to trade, harmonize regulations and rules, and prevent and sanction unilateral behaviour that contravenes the international order, we need to rebuild a multilateral economic order that is respected by all and rules-based. Furthermore, we must unite to prevent this global pandemic and recession from strengthening the authoritarianism and populism promoted by those who have tried to take advantage of this crisis. We cannot sacrifice the freedoms that we have won at so great a price, as this would pose a tremendous threat to democracy and to the development of our countries. What lessons and opportunities has this pandemic offered us? First, to be more humble.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“It is in these times of crisis that we most need leadership and multilateral cooperation. The great Powers, instead of permanently confronting each other in the economic and health fields, should lead the fight against this pandemic and global recession and not create a large and worrisome leadership vacuum. With respect to health issues, this includes sharing diagnoses and knowledge, coordinating border closures and openings, joining forces for the development and availability of an effective and safe vaccine, and cooperating with the most vulnerable countries. The trade war we are experiencing today has led to stagnation in international trade and investment, the weakening of free trade, sources of protectionism and a deadlock in the World Trade Organization.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“To that end it is vital to recover the almost 2 million jobs we have lost, relaunch our economy and get our country back on track. Therefore, two weeks after the first coronavirus contagion in Chile, we promoted an Economic Recovery Plan that mobilizes about 12 per cent of GDP. We must prevent this transitory health crisis from turning into a serious economic and social crisis of a more permanent nature. What must the world do to confront this pandemic effectively and emerge stronger? Only collaborative and multilateral solutions will allow us to overcome this crisis and emerge stronger. This pandemic, which does not recognize or respect borders, nationality or ethnicity, has shown us the need to strengthen international collaboration and governance as well as the tremendous interdependence of the international community.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“Protecting the health and lives of our compatriots also requires ensuring that families have supplies of basic goods and services and protecting jobs, incomes, small and medium-sized enterprises and the functioning of our economy. Chileans have faced very tough and difficult months. For that reason, our Government developed a Social Protection Plan to protect the income and jobs of middle-class and vulnerable families that today covers more than 14 million Chileans. That means that almost three of every four Chileans are protected by this Special Social Protection Network, which we have built in these six months of emergency. But it is not enough to protect our compatriots only during this emergency. We must be able to look to the future and move towards lasting protection.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“No country was prepared to face it, and, so long as there is no effective and safe vaccine, we will have to learn to live with this virus, which has changed our ways of working, studying, obtaining supplies and interacting — in short, the way we live our lives fully. This means a tremendous challenge and a great opportunity. How has Chile faced this formidable challenge? Our first priority and task is to protect the health and lives of all, especially those of our elderly and of at-risk groups. That is why we launched a Health Protection Plan that has made it possible to triple the capacity of our health system and carry out more than 3 million PCR tests, covering about 15 per cent of our population. But this task does not end with health protection. That is certainly necessary but not sufficient.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“Mr. President of the United Nations General Assembly, Mr. Secretary-General of the United Nations, ladies and gentlemen, Heads of State and Government, dear delegates, Each generation has faced its own problems and challenges. It is up to our generation to face especially difficult and demanding problems and challenges. Some have emerged unexpectedly, such as the coronavirus pandemic and the global economic recession. Others already existed but have manifested themselves with greater force, such as climate change and global warming. The challenges of our generation are the mothers of all battles, because they are battles to ensure our survival. COVID-19 A year ago, nobody could have imagined that an invisible and microscopic virus was going to cause the worst health, social and economic catastrophe in 100 years.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“I ask God to enlighten our paths and to bless Chileans and all the peoples of the world.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“Our country’s fathers achieved freedom and independence and bequeathed us a free homeland. The generation that preceded us was able to recover freedom and restore democracy in a very exemplary way. Our generation has a new challenge, that of defeating poverty and achieving development. That should be done in peace and unity, so that all my compatriots may have the opportunity to develop their abundant talents and be secure in their ability to live in dignity. In short, the goal is a homeland where everyone may pursue happiness and seek a fuller, happier life, together with their families and loved ones. That is our mission, and we are committed to it. It will be the yardstick against which the generations to come will judge us. Those generations, who are our children and grandchildren, we cannot and will not fail them.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“It is a corrupt and incompetent dictatorship that flouts human rights and freedoms and has undeniable links with drug trafficking. Under the dictatorship, Venezuela, which had been the richest country in Latin America, with the world’s largest oil reserves and a model of democracy for our continent, has become a country mired in a profound political, economic, social and moral crisis, where the very lives of its inhabitants, owing to a lack of food and medicine, are in jeopardy. The only avenue open to the people has been mass migration. More than 4.5 million Venezuelans have left their country because of a lack of prospects in order to seek better development opportunities. Without a doubt, this is a cause that engages all of Latin America. I would like to end with remarks concerning Chile. Each generation has a mission to fulfil.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“Today, when the world is most in need of leadership on issues such as climate change, global warming, free trade and integration, it seems unreasonable that the two great Powers, instead of uniting to lead us in effectively addressing those issues, should be fighting each other, resulting in a grave and dangerous leadership vacuum. I would like to comment that there is no incompatibility or conflict between thinking about a global world and being a patriot. There is no conflict there; these are merely two sides of the same coin that enable the balance we want to achieve between integration and national identity. Before turning to the topic of my own country, I would like to refer to a vital point for our continent, Latin America. We must put an end to the ignominious, cruel dictatorship imposed on the Venezuelan people.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“We need to rebuild a respected multilateral economic order that is based on rules known and respected by all and promotes free trade, integration and investment flows, combats protectionism, eliminates barriers to trade, harmonizes regulations and establishes universal rules to prevent and sanction unilateral acts that threaten the international order. To that end, it is necessary to modernize the World Trade Organization as soon as possible and to strengthen international collaboration. In November, Chile will host the summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum, which brings together economies that represent two thirds of the world’s gross domestic product. We hope to achieve great advances on that occasion in the areas of free trade and anti-protectionism. But allow me to make a remark.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“I would also like to refer today to a problem that affects the world economy as a whole. We are witnessing a worrisome weakening of the world economy. International trade and investment are stagnating. The trade and tariff war, which has gone on for too long, between the world’s two greatest Powers, the weakening of free trade, areas of long-term protectionism, the growing inefficiency and deadlock at the World Trade Organization, which is unable to prevent or sanction protectionist actions that harm the entire economy — these impede job creation and limit the quality of life of our peoples. Today, at a time of enormous technological progress, we should more than ever advance on the road to integration.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“That is why we are tackling the issue with a sense of urgency, but also one of efficiency. We have issued water scarcity and agricultural emergency decrees with a view to ensuring the population’s water supply and assisting small- and medium-scale farmers, who are so adversely affected by the drought. We are incorporating modern technologies for better use of water in all sectors of our economy, including irrigation technology in the agricultural sector. We have adopted a construction plan that prioritizes 26 reservoirs and are moving forward with a plan to recharge the natural aquifers under our country’s soil. And, of course, we are improving the reuse of water through the treatment of grey water and sewage. However, it goes without saying, that it takes time to resolve those problems.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“In addition, we have obtained the collaboration of the Finnish Meteorological Institute, which is specialized in that area and has conducted an in-depth analysis and made a series of useful recommendations to correct the situation. The same applies to our planet. If we do not do anything very soon, the whole planet might become a sacrificial zone. And that we cannot allow. Just a few days ago, the headline of The New York Times read that a quarter of humankind faces looming water crises. Chile, Mexico, India, North Africa and California are among the most vulnerable places. I want to mention the acute and extensive drought in our country, which has lasted more than 10 years and is reflected in sharp decreases in river flows, water levels in reservoirs and snow accumulation in the mountains, as well as across all other indicators.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“Last year, in this same Hall (see A/73/PV.10), I acknowledged certain errors and problems in my country and referred to what was happening in so-called sacrificial zones and the serious harm to thousands of people there (see A/73/PV.10). But acknowledgement is not enough; we must also take action. That is why I committed to address the pollution and poisoning endured by so many in the communities of Quintero and Puchuncavi decisively and with determination and urgency. I am pleased to say that a revamped and strict plan is now in place to decontaminate those communities. The plan includes emission standards as exacting as those in the European Union and provides for strengthening the health-care system and State oversight of a modernized monitoring network.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“We will also have to mobilize far more resources than those mobilized or pledged to date if we are to help the most vulnerable countries to join this noble struggle. From the edges of the Earth, the southern reaches of the world, we invite all Governments and all sectors of society to participate in COP Chile and commit to tackling the great challenge of our generation. This battle still depends on us, and we cannot therefore just continue to ignore it. This is the great challenge of our generation: to correct a decades-long course and treat our planet differently in order to guarantee the survival of humankind.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“Change will not be easy; it will require ambition. Ambition requires funding, but it is also true that funding always follows ambition. This is why I call on world leaders and all men and women of good faith to recognize that we have run out of time and must now go from diagnosis and debate to action, pure and simple. We must leave aside the false dichotomy between economic growth and sustainability. If development is not sustainable, there can be no development. The two concepts are not in competition, but complement one another. Of course, we will have to significantly increase investment in innovation and technology to better tackle these challenges. Innovation and technology are the tools that will allow us to make crucially needed development compatible with urgently needed care for nature.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“We are implementing a plan to achieve that goal, based on four pillars: the complete decarbonization of our energy grid; the modernization of our public transport system, replacing fossil fuels entirely with electricity; energy efficiency in every sector; and an ambitious protection, conservation and reforestation programme for our forests. We are pursuing all of this through a framework law on climate change, which identifies clear strategies, tools and timelines for upholding our commitment to carbon neutrality. In this great task, we will have to use all the tools that our great allies of science and technology put at our disposal. We must leave behind the culture of the disposable and embrace the culture of the recyclable. We must shift from the concept of a linear economy to one that is circular, repurposing its own waste.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“Fourthly, it will put into practice some instruments that were agreed in Paris but are yet to be activated, such as carbon bond markets, to generate more resources for and improve the efficiency of the struggle to reduce carbon emissions. This is why Chile is today announcing the launch of the Alliance for Climate Ambition, which will bring together States and cities, business and civil society on all these fronts. Indeed, Chile committed a few months ago to becoming a carbon-neutral country. We are taking that commitment very seriously.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“Oceans capture 50 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions and absorb more than 90 per cent of the temperature increases generated by us human beings. However, they are suffering serious impacts. The United in Science report details the degree of acidification and deoxygenation affecting our oceans and killing marine life. This is why the Chile COP will be the blue COP, because without blue there is no green, and without green there is no life. Thirdly, it will fully involve regional, municipal and city Governments, non-governmental organizations, businesses, civil society and communities at large in the cause of fighting climate change.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“As I said at the Group of 20 Summit in Osaka, Japan, where six countries, including Chile, made this commitment, the movement is fast gaining momentum, with 66 countries, more than 100 cities and more than 100 major companies having committed to becoming carbon neutral. Secondly, we also need to incorporate the protection and conservation of rainforests and their magnificent biodiversity and, of course, the incorporation not only of rain forests but where they grow, because when rainforests grow, they capture carbon and produce oxygen. This is why, together with the Presidents of France and Colombia, we created the Alliance for Rainforests, which will take the second step of its work at the December COP in Chile. At the same time, we must also incorporate care for the oceans.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“That is why we agreed to host the COP in December. What are the objectives of the COP to be held in Chile? First, it is aimed to get countries to make much more ambitious and enforceable commitments than they have to date to combat climate change. There is good news on this front, too. Today, 66 countries, or one in three, have already committed to becoming carbon neutral, which means cutting net emissions of carbon and greenhouse gases to zero. This seemed impossible only weeks ago. We note and welcome this change in attitude, heightened awareness and the stronger commitment to tackling the problem. The Secretary-General tasked us some months ago with leading the coalition for climate mitigation so as to ensure that more countries, business and cities commit to carbon neutrality.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“Those future generations will also want to live on a healthy planet and they will, of course, judge us, and judge us harshly, for the way in which we responded to the monumental challenge of climate change. Therefore, if we are to avoid catastrophe, it is now imperative that we recognize that we are on the wrong track, time has run out and we must change course. Facing this scenario, we have heard two options. There are those who say, “Let us wait and see what happens” and accept the consequences; and those who believe that the time has come to tackle this challenge and change the course of history. The good news is that science and technology give us tools and instruments and that we still have time to change course in how we as humankind treat our planet. Chile has chosen this second path, deciding to tackle the challenge.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“This means that we must prevent climate change and global warming from becoming truly catastrophic. This is not a matter of scepticism, faith, politics or ideology; it is a problem founded in science. And the overwhelming science is telling us loud and clear that we have less than a decade left to radically change the course of history and the way in which we treat our planet. We know too much to remain sceptical. This challenge is not just environmental; it is also a moral challenge, affecting our children and grandchildren, and the generations to come. They too have the right to live on planet Earth. From this same rostrum yesterday, we listened to children and young people raise their voices, urging us to shoulder responsibilities and account not only for what we have done but above all for what we have not done.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“We have burned or deforested large areas of forests crucial to the life and health of our planet. The most serious aspect is that such changes, which once occurred over the course of centuries or millennia, now take place in less than a decade. Nature has long been screaming in alarm and anguish, pleading for the simplest of things — that we take care of her so that she in turn may take care of us. The 2015 session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP), held in Paris, set the goal of limiting maximum temperature increase to 2°C, later stepped up to 1.5°C by the end of the century. But the commitments countries made at that Conference did not, as has just been mentioned, go far enough. They are not even being honoured! We must urgently rise to the challenge.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“The report states that, even if we implemented the commitments made under the Paris Agreement, temperature would still significantly exceed the limit agreed, reaching an increase of almost 3.4 degrees, which is almost tantamount to disaster. We need to multiple comprises by five to meet the target of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. The consequences are not theoretical; they are plain for everyone to see. We are enduring heatwaves, major storms and floods, severe droughts, devastating hurricanes, and ice calving and melting, among other things. Sea levels continue to rise by the day, as do the acidification and deoxygenation of their waters. In fact, over the past 30 years, humankind has destroyed 50 per cent of corals, which are the backbone of all marine life.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“Our planet is over 4.5 billion years old, and during this long history, it has suffered and endured all kinds of phenomena — such as hurricanes, glaciations, warming, flooding, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, floods, asteroid strikes — and it survived them all. However, more than 99 out of every 100 species that once existed no longer exist today, and we do not want human beings to join that list of the extinct. The scientific evidence is categorical and conclusive: the situation is now critical. In fact, the latest scientific report, United in Science, published just today, shows that the concentration of greenhouse gases and global temperature are the highest they have been in the past 800,000 years. The last five years have been the hottest in recorded human history.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“Every generation faces its own challenges but no generation has faced a challenge as urgent and formidable as that confronting us in climate change and global warming. This is the mother of all battles, because it is the battle for our very survival. The human being is the most intelligent creature living on planet earth. However, it is also the only creature capable of destroying — and, at times, it seems, ready to destroy — its own planet. Recent months have seen many prestigious magazines publish photos of planet earth captioned “Let’s save the planet”. I believe they are mistaken: it is not planet earth that is at risk; what is truly at risk is the survival of the human being on planet earth.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“What should guide us is the maintenance of peace and security and respect for the basic values that led to the formation of the Organization, and it is therefore those same values that must illuminate and guide the path to its future. Only by strongly and coherently reviving those values will the United Nations be able to fulfil its responsibilities and rise to the challenges of the new world we live in. Together with the formidable threats that we are confronted with, such as terrorism, global warming and mass migration, we also have magnificent opportunities that are generated by the freedom, imagination and unlimited creativity of the free men and women of this world.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“That behaviour has reduced and continues to reduce the effectiveness of a fundamental organ of the United Nations that not only holds enormous power but also has a tremendous responsibility, that of preserving peace and security on our planet. In addition, the current composition of the Security Council does not reflect today’s world and does not adequately represent entire continents, such as Africa or Latin America, or countries such as Germany, India and Japan. I would therefore like to conclude by emphasizing that it is not only development that should be sustainable, but also peace. It is precisely at times like these that the values we share as an international community should guide and illuminate our actions and the path ahead. People must not be united by free trade alone.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)