YouSaid · the spoken record

Andrés Pastrana Arango

lines on the record: 59
first: 1998-09-24
most recent: 2001-09-24
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

“Let us advance, united together, against all forms of terrorism, whatever their rationales. No more ambiguity. No more justifications of violence. Let us never forget that there is nothing more sacred, more valuable or worthier than human life.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“I must give special recognition to the Secretary General’s Special Adviser on International Assistance to Colombia, Jan Egeland, for his assistance, and to the generous contribution of friendly nations during the talks with insurgent groups. The world has sided with peace in Colombia, and that is a gesture we understand and appreciate in its full worth. Today I echo the strong and determined voice of 40 million Colombians, who are all fighting for a better and more dignified life, and I reaffirm before the world a message to the international community that proposes and demands clarity. The time for lamenting is over. It is time for definitions. Let us put aside the empty speeches. Let us leave behind the moral double standards that measure acts that suit us with one yardstick and the acts that do not with another.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“If their actions lead them to be treated as mere terrorists, then they must clearly understand — and I say this vehemently to the world — that Colombia and the international community will honour their commitments and carry out the measures adopted by the Security Council to combat terrorism. History goes on; it does not stop. Leaders come and go, but peoples continue along the path laid out before them. Even today, I believe that peace is possible if the will to make peace exists. I still believe, with the firm hope of someone who knows the values of his people, that the road we started on will not be barren. During my mandate, the international community has shown an unprecedented solidarity with the people of Colombia and its quest for peace. I am grateful for that from the bottom of my heart.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“This is the last time I will address the General Assembly as President of Colombia. Each year since 1998, I have spoken before the Assembly about the commitment of my Government and of the people of Colombia to achieving peace, democracy and progress in social justice. More than any other leader of my country I have fully devoted myself to achieving peace. I do not regret having done that, because we Colombians are tired of violence, intimidation, crime and kidnappings. I hope that all groups living outside the law will make the right choice at this crucial juncture, not only in the history of Colombia but also in the history of all humankind. It is up to them to decide how they want to be treated: as terrorists and drug-traffickers or as political insurgents. They must define themselves through their actions.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“We need, through deep reflection, to become aware of our responsibility for humanizing globalization and ensuring that it reflects the interests of all countries and regions. The Conference on Financing for Development to be held early next year in Mexico is particularly important in this light. Unless we mobilize the necessary financial resources and move towards a new architecture ensuring a stable international financial system, the commitments and the course set out at the Millennium Summit will be a dead letter. Those same criteria must guide next year’s World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg. On that occasion, we must consolidate a positive vision and devise a road map for achieving real harmony between economic growth, social development and the preservation of the environment.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“Security Council resolution 1373 (2001) and the measures being taken by all the Governments of the world to combat the financing of international terrorism are an essential step forward that Colombia supports without hesitation. We must work together to dismantle the structure of the extremists’ financial support. That is the only way to create a safer world for our children. It is the only way to defeat the plague of violence and terrorism at its roots: the transnational empires of drugs. A year ago, we gathered in this same Hall on the occasion of the Millennium Summit. None of the priorities identified at that time was stressed as much as the need to ensure that globalization benefits all the 7 peoples of the world. The reality of globalization is one of inequality; it has led to dissatisfaction and conflict.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“The year 2003 will mark five years since the twentieth special session of the General Assembly, the so-called world drug summit. We should now begin to promote an in-depth review of all the accomplishments, the obstacles encountered along the way, the new challenges to be faced and the additional action we must take to break, once and for all, the links that support this global phenomenon. But we must do so without losing ourselves in grey tones. The commitment of the international community must be real and concrete so that we can at last attack the finances of the traffickers of death. Let us combat the business in which they make all their profits. Fortunately, the Security Council has taken important decisions in this regard, moving the fight against crime in the right direction.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“Only if we, beginning with the developed countries, translate those principles into reality, with concrete action and with political will, will we give meaning and effectiveness to the fight that my country, Colombia, has been waging for many years against the cultivation and production of drugs. No country is free from the destructive consequences of illegal drugs. There are no epicentres in this illegal business. This criminal activity is global in nature. The drug problem, and organized crime in general, undermine the institutional framework, conspire against democracy, compromise governance and sow death and violence. They are a hothouse of corruption; they erode judicial systems and they thwart the rule of law. Shared responsibility, therefore, means the responsibility to defend democracy, our principles and institutions.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“This new international conviction that we have all been late in implementing — perhaps because we are still numbed by the so-called post-cold-war era — must be translated into acts that go beyond rhetoric. There must be no more coexisting with money laundering, even if it means going after the major financial conglomerates of the world. There must be no more uncontrolled production and sale of the chemical precursors used in illicit drug production. There must be no more illegal or uncontrolled manufacturing and sale of the weapons that propagate death.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“No, indeed: those profits move freely through international financial markets where seemingly respectable financiers and businessmen prosper, enjoying the tolerance of the entire world. We must also learn from our misfortunes — especially from our misfortunes — and we have learned something from the events of 11 September. We have learned that lax control of financial institutions and the existence of tax and banking havens are like giving criminals a letter of marque to make and multiply their profits, to amass the fortunes that finance death. The shared responsibility that my country demands in the fight against illegal drugs must also be applied to the fight against terrorism.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“We all know that the world market for illegal drugs is the number-one source of financing for worldwide terrorism and death. Yet the international community has been content simply to suggest or demand that production centres control drug trafficking through law enforcement and through eradication and interdiction action, forgetting that this scourge is much more than just a problem of cultivation and trafficking. It is a global problem with global ramifications. Colombia has always said, and my Government has repeated again and again in every possible international forum, that it is necessary to control illegal drug production, but that we cannot forget that this is a very complex transnational business and that the vast proceeds of narcotics trafficking do not stay in our country.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“And I address the Assembly today representing a country, Colombia, that has been the main victim of worldwide drug addiction, a country that has suffered too many deaths, that has sacrificed natural and financial resources to combat a crime that is not its own. It is a global crime whose vast illegal proceeds remain outside our borders. In those two capacities, I address the international community, represented in the General Assembly, to demand, head held high, that we move from rhetoric to action. The world is distressed by this ominous terrorism. I say candidly that we ourselves have also 6 suffered from such terrorism for quite some time. But we have not always felt the pulse of the international community beating firmly by our side.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“Today, we must all stand together and unreservedly condemn all acts of violence against any human being, regardless of the pretext. If we do not cast our lot in favour of mankind and human values, what will be left for us? What right will we have to call ourselves the leaders of a civilization gone adrift? I address the Assembly today with the overwhelming responsibility and authority vested in me as President of a country, Colombia, that for decades has endured an internal conflict where every new day brings more deaths and kidnappings because of the intransigence of illegal groups seeking to impose themselves at the cost of the lives of their compatriots.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“It does not matter whether it is perpetrated by a group of religious fanatics or by an organization claiming to have political ideals. There is no pretext for attacking defenceless civilians. The dividing line is very clear: either we respect human life and dignity or we stand against humankind. The horrendous acts of 11 September do not represent a collision of civilizations, religions or cultures. The only collision is between a violent fanatical minority on the one hand, and all forms of civilization on the other. We cannot accept any further attempts to justify violence. No matter how much it costs us — even if it goes against our present interests — there is something far more valuable than anything else in the world: human life and human dignity.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“They were the ambiguities we all expressed in respect of violence and the money that finances it. In the past, when an act against civilians anywhere in the world suited our interests, we would speak of a humanitarian crisis, of defending democracy, of reasons of State. And we continued on impassively, with a clear conscience. But when an act against civilians anywhere did not suit our interests, we would take a firm stand, we would react with indignation and we would speak of terrorism, of attacks against mankind, of treacherous attacks against democracy and human rights. Let there be no more ambiguity or equivocation. The time has come to define our position, with no vague half answers: either we side with mankind, its dignity and its integrity, or we do not. Whenever human dignity or civilians are attacked, that is an act of terrorism.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“We have all expressed our solidarity to the people of the United States. And we all agree that those irrational acts not only affected one single country but were in fact an attack against all mankind. But we must go even further; we must understand why such events occurred and what we must do to ensure that similar acts never happen again – never again. The tragedy of 11 September had the positive effect of uniting us all against a common enemy: terrorism. And it did something else: it removed the dissembling from our words; it stripped the hypocrisy from our discourse; it moved us out of the world of grey tones to which we were so accustomed. Now we must work to replace it with a black-and-white world that is free of ambiguity. And what were those greys that are so evident today?”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“Let me take this opportunity to reiterate our satisfaction at the honour accorded to the United Nations and to the Secretary-General through the award of the Nobel Peace Prize. That was a well- deserved tribute to our Organization, to the values shared by its Member States, and, in particular, to the Secretary General, whose personal commitment and visionary approach have given new life to the United Nations and have helped to consolidate its international credibility. That decision was more than an acknowledgement of past achievements; it provided encouragement that inspires the work of the United Nations in the light of the challenges of the new millennium. Two months ago the entire world was shaken by a series of unprecedented terrorist acts. We have all spoken of the dreadful effects of these attacks.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“Allow me, on behalf of the Government of Colombia, to express our satisfaction at your assumption of the presidency of this session of the General Assembly. Your experience and leadership are valuable credentials for bringing our deliberations to a fruitful result. I wish also to pay tribute to your predecessor, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Finland, His Excellency Mr. Harri Holkeri, whose diplomatic skills contributed decisively to the Assembly’s work. I want, further, to speak of the Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi Annan, whose authority, dedication and 5 meaningful contribution will serve as inspiration for the decisions that Member States must take at this session.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“When we have liberated the human spirit so that it may fully develop its enormous potential, we will have laid the foundations of a world truly at peace. Colombia, amidst its difficulties and problems, does not want to be, nor will it be, simply a witness to the changes of these times. Colombia is not a military or economic power. Nonetheless, it is respected by the community of nations for its unlimited and unconditional support for the norms and principles of international law. We offer our contribution — modest, but part of the common effort — to a better future for all mankind.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“A great effort of coordination is required between these institutions and the new international actors, including non-governmental organizations, and the promotion of a real association within a globalized but fairer system. The twentieth century has demonstrated that, alongside the horror and cruelty, there has prevailed what was once considered utopian: the United Nations. Our paramount commitment must be to the human condition, the ethics and culture of peoples, solidarity and respect for others, regardless of ethnic, ideological, religious or any other considerations. We cannot give in until the day when the freedom and democracy proclaimed in our documents have become a universal reality.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“Colombia reiterates its confidence in these principles of 10 collective security and its commitment to work, decisively, with the different sectors of the international community in order to invigorate the capacity of the Security Council to respond to problems and crises in all regions. That is why my country has submitted its candidature for a seat on the Council for the period 2001-2002. The time for simple reform intentions is past. With the arrival of the new millennium, the historic moment has come to begin anew real negotiations in the different institutions. We need to find genuinely universal paradigms to ensure that multilateralism leads to the globalization of solidarity. It is necessary to leave behind generalities or fragmented criteria in order to find a comprehensive vision of the United Nations system.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“But this cannot simply take a form that is a product of the post-cold-war era. We need a concerted will. From various directions there are calls for the Security Council to become more effective, to consult the spirit of the Charter and to balance the realities of world power with the just aspirations of those peoples which are least strong. The system of collective security is one of the cornerstones of multilateralism. It is the rational response to interventionist or isolationist tendencies, the maximum guarantee of the principles to which we all adhere.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“We must, therefore, revitalize international cooperation to make the best of globalization, to distribute its benefits more fairly so that development and peace can complement each other efficiently and productively. Revitalizing cooperation is not an option; it is a duty. After over five decades of existence, the United Nations has partially fulfilled its promise. It has been able to avoid the horrors of a new world holocaust. But the anticipated order, wherein the United Nations would guarantee peace, security and development for all peoples, remains to be built. After the progress achieved with the Secretary- General’s reform proposals, we see with great concern that the pace of change has slowed. Reform must be a continuing process. The United Nations must continue adapting ever more effectively to new conditions and realities.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“New struggles and conflicts have appeared, some using means for which the international community does not seem to be prepared. Global confrontation is a thing of the past, as are the old plots resulting from strife and spheres of influence. These are times to think in terms of a real community of nations, as competing partners, but mainly as partners that share a common destiny. There is, nevertheless, a perception that not everything is going well. The world is still not satisfied with itself. There are forces of destabilization and imbalance which put at risk the achievements made to date. Many millions still suffer from malnutrition, illiteracy, disease and exclusion.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“It must also involve support mechanisms to lessen the social impact of structural adjustment programmes, especially those affecting the most vulnerable. The Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi Annan, said so when he spoke about the need to respect essential values to give a human face to the global market. At the end of the twentieth century, we are moving into an era of powerful changes, accompanied by worrisome tensions. Globalization is deepening, but it coexists with forces that encourage fragmentation. As the peace processes move forward in many regions, new violence explodes in others. Wealth is expanding to unprecedented levels, but alienation and poverty persist. The technological means that promote interdependence and development also support networks of organized crime, drug trafficking, money laundering, terrorism and arms trafficking.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“This crisis has shown that no State, however powerful, is immune, and that the poor countries have suffered the most from its consequences. The hypothesis that capital flows would promote accelerated and sustained economic growth has faded in the light of the facts. We have seen the growth of enormous sums of virtual money, whose uncontrolled movements have brought economic turbulence, unemployment, more poverty and even, in some cases, political instability. Latin America has become the most recent victim of the crisis. We must, therefore, give the most serious consideration and priority to the design of a new financial structure. This will be viable and efficient only if it involves increased resources from multilateral financial institutions.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“And multinational corporations that benefit in one way or another should be held accountable for not taking the necessary precautions to prevent their helping and participating in drug trafficking through negligence. There will be no peace in Colombia as long as the greedy businesses of drug trafficking and the black market in weapons continue supplying irregular groups. We are very concerned about the significant amounts of various types of weapons illegally entering Colombian territory. There is an urgent, inescapable need for all Governments to cooperate to control and halt this unacceptable traffic in death and destruction. For the last two years, since the first shock wave of the so-called Asian crisis, the economy has been suffering the difficulties of instability and slow-down.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“But as the major Colombian cartels are wiped out, the illegal drug trade has become a kind of hydra — more spread out, more international and less public, and therefore more difficult to defeat. To vanquish it requires a genuine partnership among the countries that consume and produce illegal drugs, underpinned by the principles of joint responsibility, reciprocity and fairness. 9 Increased efforts must also be made to confiscate from drug traffickers the money and property they have obtained from that illegal trade. In particular, we must fight the smuggling of industrial products to Colombia, which serves to launder drug money and ends up suffocating Colombia’s industries. We must also halt the flow of precursor chemicals needed for the production of narcotics.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“My Government also believes that the peace process is key in winning the fight against the worldwide problem of drugs. That immoral trade, which ruins lives, fuels violence, promotes corruption and destroys our ecosystem, must be opposed by all nations, by all available means. To that end, we must coordinate our efforts regarding production and consumption as well as the numerous links between these two evils. Over the past two decades, Colombia has been on the front lines of this battle, facing down the drug cartels and their campaigns of intimidation and terror. In the process we have lost many of our finest citizens, to whom we owe an immeasurable debt of gratitude.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“For that reason, we are counting on the solidarity and contributions of the international community. Given the complexity of the process, it is clear that cooperation for peace must be carried out with the utmost caution. Careless actions can thwart these efforts. That is why we are increasingly concerned by the groundless rumours of alleged military interventions in Colombia, whose supposed purpose is to help my country in the struggle in which it is engaged. I would like from this rostrum solemnly to state that Colombia, true to the principles that govern our Republic, rejects any foreign interference or intervention in its internal affairs. We Colombians will work to overcome our own challenges. These are times of cooperation, not intervention.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“As our recent history makes clear, international support is also necessary for us to face our challenges. Colombia needs financial support from multilateral organizations, from friendly countries and from non-governmental organizations to complement my Administration’s efforts. Such support is key for Colombia. To this end, we have formulated a strategic package for peace, economic prosperity and the strengthening of the State; it is called Plan Colombia. It synthesizes our economic, political and social views and aims to defend Colombia from the threat of drug trafficking, to strengthen our democratic institutions throughout the national territory, and to guarantee the security of our citizens and the full enjoyment of their rights and freedoms.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“I must admit that the past year has been difficult; the challenges we face are complex. The most important lesson we have learned is that peace is a primary goal for Colombia. Not peace at any price, but a genuine peace that strengthens our democracy, preserves territorial unity and gives every Colombian his or her rightful place in our common destiny. The quest for peace is not limited to dialogue and negotiation or to putting an end to armed conflict. Achieving peace requires much more than convincing the parties to sit at the negotiating table and reach compromises. It requires rebuilding a society and State in which the causes of conflict have been eradicated, which strengthens the State and helps to create the foundations of a stable and lasting peace. We Colombians have taken seriously the responsibility of achieving peace.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“Over the past year, we have worked with determination to put an end to the 40-year-old conflict in Colombia. We have reached agreement on an agenda for negotiations between our Government and the Colombia Revolutionary Armed Forces (FARC), the oldest and largest of the guerrilla groups. But as the world knows, we are negotiating in the midst of conflict, without benefit of a ceasefire, so the killings, kidnappings and attacks by the guerrillas and the “self-defence” groups are still taking a high human, social and economic toll. Achieving peace will require time, patience and optimism in order to successfully overcome the obstacles and doubts inherent in this process. When I last stood upon this rostrum, one year ago, I outlined a new direction for my country: to work to put an end to the corruption and violence in Colombia.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“One of the Charter’s cherished principles is the obligation of States not to interfere, directly or indirectly, in the affairs of other States, as sovereign equality excludes 8 interference in the internal jurisdiction of other countries. It also implies complying, in good faith, with agreed commitments; observing the principles underlying them; and simultaneously respecting freedoms and human rights. This is a fundamental aspect of international affairs. The founders of the United Nations — and my grandfather was among them — were not mistaken in their belief that international peace is based on the sovereignty of Member States. Nor were they wrong when, ruling out the unilateral use of threats and force against the integrity and independence of States, they envisaged the use of effective collective means.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“Here I would prefer to avoid pro forma statements and present instead some concrete and explicit considerations, as we believe that this Organization must be the catalyst of a fair and realistic response to the challenges of our common destiny. No one could argue with the lofty principles underlying the Charter of the United Nations. Its unquestioned universality is one of the characteristics of the second half of the twentieth century. We agree that respecting the Charter must mean, above all else, applying those principles effectively, without interpreting them in ways that distort the purposes of the Charter. Our collective experience of over half a century has shown that the proper application of the Charter of the United Nations is indeed the best and safest way of achieving and consolidating the benefits of world peace.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“In the last hundred years, despite two disastrous global conflagrations, the nations of the world have come to the collective realization that all wars are civil wars, all killing is fratricidal, and that any minor conflict could, by escalating to the nuclear level, spark humankind’s final war. It has thus become clear that in order to survive and prosper, nations must be united in a basic agreement on the prevention of war and the protection of human rights, with the preservation of the human race as a first priority. Today, on the eve of the new millennium, after half a century marked by setbacks as well as by major successes, the United Nations must renew its mandate as a source of social and economic development and as a force for peace.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“Allow me, on my own behalf and on behalf of my country, to express our congratulations to you, Sir, on your election as President of the General Assembly for the current session. I am certain that, with a person of your qualities and experience at the helm, the Assembly will achieve the desired results. I wish to express my congratulations and gratitude to your predecessor, my friend Chancellor Didier Opertti of Uruguay, for his efficient work. I would also like to express my appreciation to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr. Kofi Annan, for his dedication and his contribution to the renewal of the Organization, and to reiterate to him our confidence in his work and his leadership. This session of the General Assembly is the last one of the twentieth century.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“This will serve both as a gauge of their effectiveness and as the central element of the analysis of the coordination of the various institutions of the United Nations system as a whole. Our people rightly demand more effective action and less empty rhetoric. We cannot betray billions of human beings who yearn for a world at peace, with democracy and freedom, and above all just, united and equitable.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“We need to promote monitoring mechanisms for treaty compliance, the negotiated solution of conflicts and the creation of nuclear-free zones with effective verification systems. In this respect, the United Nations will need to perfect early- warning systems to evaluate events so that its actions will be efficient and genuinely preventive. I have come here today to reaffirm Colombia’s unbroken tradition as a nation devoted to the great 4 principles that underpin the very existence of the United Nations. We are prepared to offer, with thoughtful optimism, our support for the achievement of its purposes and its reforms. We believe it would be useful to review and appraise the results of the various summits held in recent years, so that we may follow up their results and plans of action.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“We believe that it is appropriate to consolidate a minimum international order and to replace violence and terrorism with peace and coexistence, which should then thrive naturally through multilateralism. Colombia encourages the efforts undertaken in arms control, with the systematic quest for disarmament as the ultimate goal, and supports the priority allocation of world and regional resources to development. We believe that it is therefore essential to make progress in the control and gradual elimination of weapons of mass destruction and to exercise effective control over the illegal arms trade, to which thousands of men, women and children fall victim daily throughout the world, and especially in the developing countries. We need a realistic and methodical strategy to secure peace in our time and in the coming century.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“The United Nations must not be merely a forum for the sovereign expression of States. It must be the place for negotiation and synthesis in the political, cultural, social and economic life of the nations. It is reassuring to see that the grand designs that inspired the Charter remain valid. It is now our task to maintain them and to interpret the new situations that arise in the course of history. We know, for example, that conflicts within States are conceptually different from the old wars between States. We have a greater understanding of the link between peace and development and of the way in which politics and socioeconomic interests are related.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“It must replace the logic of confrontation and of the division between poor and rich countries with the logic of cooperation, shared responsibility and solidarity inspired by justice as the golden rule of multilateralism. His Holiness Pope John Paul II summed up this position perfectly on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the United Nations, when, addressing this same Assembly, he urged us to unite our efforts to build a civilization of love, founded on the universal values of peace, solidarity, justice and liberty, to overcome the fear which darkens human existence at the end of the twentieth century. We firmly believe that the Charter and all the institutions of the international system must promote dynamic cooperation, each enriching the shared universal heritage with its own particular character.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“Therefore, there is an even more urgent need to coordinate global responses through vigorous multilateralism. There is an obvious dichotomy between de facto globalization, science and technology, instantaneous communications and the world market, on the one hand, and, on the hand, the absence of genuine social order and human advancement. We must revive an authentic and productive North- South dialogue, based on a concept of solidarity which is more substantial than declarations or good intentions and which is expressed in specific action. It must take account of the needs of the more vulnerable groups and of those excluded from progress.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“We need to reconsider certain modes of international action and heed the voices of the peoples who desire development and fight for it in the midst of difficulty and conflict. We need to strengthen communication and dialogue between North and South and to correct unreasonable imbalances. We believe that the time has come to make an objective review of the present state of negotiations for the reform of the Organization, in order to ensure that social and economic matters are properly related to the legitimate aspirations of developing nations. There must be instruments to encourage rapport between the organs originating from the San Francisco Charter and those institutions born at Bretton Woods. We know that the responses of individual nations or groups of States are insufficient.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“New sources of funding for certain social, development and humanitarian programmes should be sought, which should extend the scope of action of the 3 United Nations and ensure that it continues to steer the common course of international solidarity. We need multilateralism with social content, in which the human being is the central priority and in which development is the guiding principle in decisions. I stand before you to appeal to all nations to contribute to the burial of the post-cold-war period, to see it as no more than an interregnum, and to open the door wide to an era of creative and more humane multilateralism. The original principles of the Organization are of course still valid, but we need to make some adjustments.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“The adaptation of structures, regulations and modes of operation means that the Organization must have the personnel and the funds it needs, through efficient and exemplary management. Cooperation for development must receive a massive injection to save it from decline, and this must be in accordance with the text and spirit of the Charter and of countless commitments, within an overall concept that includes encouragement of respect for human, individual, social, economic and cultural rights. My Government has a policy of encouraging broader participation by the new actors on the international stage, such as non-governmental organizations and the private sector.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“Therefore, it will be useful to identify what we can do to make the proposed reforms truly worthwhile. One must seek a genuine consensus for the agenda of priorities for the new millennium. Colombia is ready to help reconcile existing disputes. This is not a question of a simple, formal agreement or of a quest for utopian reform, but of a meeting of wills and a methodical and open-minded consensus regarding proposals which are designed to bring us closer to an era of greater justice and balance. We must eliminate the contradiction in which more responsibilities, actions and programmes are demanded from the United Nations while at the same time some States fail to meet their obligations or do not show any willingness to increase their contribution in proportion to their capacity. Without doubt, the United Nations must be properly funded.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“The United Nations cannot be expected to possess magic formulas that we ourselves do not have for solving problems and situations that concern us all, within the context of the interdependence and internationalization characteristic of our times. But we certainly need to adapt them to this moment in history, when we face such wide horizons and colossal challenges. We need something of the idealism and pragmatic spirit which could be inspired by solidarity among the human race. The reasons for the creation of the United Nations not only remain intact, but also have rapidly even become more relevant in the second half of the twentieth century. The principles which inspired its creation have become so important that any action taken unilaterally or by a group of States turns out to be inadequate or limited in effect.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“Therefore, one of the aims of our diplomacy is to strengthen the regional agencies within the concept of universalism. It is thus essential that we join our efforts to regain the momentum achieved on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the birth of the United Nations, so that the Organization will be revitalized and ready for the beginning of a new millennium. The various levels of action required are all based on the credibility of the multilateralism which the United Nations embodies and the trust which our peoples have in it. Some support the approval of certain reforms that the experience of this period of history and the changes on the world scene have in themselves made imperative.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“Among the proposals which Colombia made at the San Francisco Conference and which were included in the United Nations Charter, there are two I would now like to mention, because they belong to the common heritage of our foreign policy: first, compliance in good faith with the obligations assumed by the Member States of the United Nations, as an underlying assumption for the validity of its universal action; and secondly, recognition of the role played by regional arrangements and agencies in the maintenance of peace, in international security as an integrated concept and in the peaceful settlement of disputes between States. Colombia believes that universalism and regionalism are complementary and should support each other harmoniously.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)