YouSaid · the spoken record

Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero

lines on the record: 32
first: 2008-09-24
most recent: 2009-09-24
sittings or episodes: 2
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

“Since 1945, there have never been such favourable circumstances for translating the desires of the founders of the United Nations into the reality of the international order. Those desires were intended for succeeding generations. And we are the first generation that has within its reach the ability to fulfil the old and beautiful dream of a world governed by all. Let us do so.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“My country also proposes to promote, when we assume the European Union presidency in the first half of 2010, the agreements that we must all adopt at Copenhagen. 09-52320 28 Finally, only one year ago we were struck by a financial crisis that shook every corner of the world. Since then, all of us have suffered the effects of that crisis, but we have also become aware of the need to move ahead in building global governance and have taken resolute steps in that direction. Let us continue on that path, not just to continue fighting against the crisis and for employment, but to overcome it together and successfully address the other global challenges. Let us use this time for clarity; let us take this opportunity. Let us build a multilateralism that is effective and responsible — above all, a multilateralism of solidarity.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“Copenhagen should give two answers to the world, regarding what and when: an ambitious reduction of emissions — the what — and a horizon that is near and defined — the when. In order to attain those objectives, we also need to think about how. We know that technological research, innovation and development in the area of energy assist in the fight against climate change. That is why Spain has proposed that every State should devote at least 0.7 per cent of its gross domestic product to research, development and innovation in the area of technology and energy. That is a reference figure that, as in the area of development cooperation policy, will help us determine a commitment before the international community.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“We must take everyone’s circumstances into account, but, if we are to make collective progress, we must not delay. Although we have been able to see the effects of the economic crisis, we still find it difficult to react to the effects of a phenomenon much more devastating for entire future generations. That is paradoxical and incomprehensible — even more so when we consider that to emerge from the economic crisis means ensuring the only kind of growth possible: sustainable growth. We have 75 days before the Copenhagen summit begins. They can be 75 days for the future or for failure, 75 days for responsibility or for impotence, 75 days for agreement or for the useless defence of selfish interests.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“The twenty-first century should belong to a continent that has been dispossessed for too long in the history of humanity: the African continent. Spain has become the seventh-largest international donor and the eighth- largest United Nations contributor, and we have made a clear commitment in the area of food security. Over the past few years, we have raised humanity’s awareness about the seriousness of the effects of climate change. There is now sufficient awareness about the need to combat climate change and also about the opportunities it provides us to create a new model of economic development — sustainable development. With climate change, the time for awareness- raising is over and the time for commitments has arrived. We do not need any more words; it is time for action.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“That is why our commitment to international peace and security must go hand in hand with a renewed effort to eradicate poverty, using our leadership responsibly and with solidarity and avoiding the temptation, in times of economic crisis, to lessen our commitment to the world’s poorest and most vulnerable. The achievement of the Millennium Development Goals must be a central aspect of the international agenda. Five years before 2015, the Goals can still be achieved, with sustained collective effort. At the next session of the General Assembly, we must reach specific agreements that will guarantee their achievement. I wish to strengthen the appeal for that urgent joint effort by citing the commitment of my country and its citizens. I refer in particular to Africa.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“According to the most recent estimates, more than 1 billion people throughout the world — nearly one sixth of its total population — suffer hunger. We must say this as often as possible: figures such as that, reflecting unfathomable human suffering, assault our consciences time and again as leaders of the international community and as citizens. It is unjust and unacceptable to proceed further into the twenty- first century, as we are doing, with such a radical imbalance in the living conditions of humanity. It is unjust, unacceptable and also unsafe — a permanent source of instability. It is not possible to aspire to a secure world if the current levels of inequality and poverty persist.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“The shared conviction as to the strategic value of the region and the internal solidarity among the countries present there is stronger than ever and will be decisive in the face of the difficulties before us. I also wish to reiterate the need to persevere in seeking formulas for peace in the Middle East because of that conflict’s potential to spread and affect other regional conflicts such as those just mentioned. The world has an unresolved task: peace in the Middle East, with two secure States — the State of Israel, but also the State of Palestine, which the international community must consider and recognize within a reasonable period of time. Peace in the Middle East has been and continues to be the first strategic priority for the international community.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“I pledge to do everything possible, as far as Spain and the European Union are concerned, to ensure that this important conference has concrete results that will enable us to advance the perspective of a world free from nuclear weapons. Let us continue to act with determination and without discouragement to build and consolidate peace in all areas and regions. My country is proud to have been contributing to United Nations peacekeeping missions for 20 years. Over those 20 years, we have taken part in 22 missions comprising a total of more than 100,000 troops. Currently, we share the concern over the situation in Afghanistan. I am sure, however, that the international community will be able to find a 27 09-52320 solution — a solution that is not and cannot be purely military.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“Now, the world has the opportunity to take a great step: abolishing nuclear weapons. President Obama has had the courage to put that on the table, and the United States and Russia — a country that is and will remain key to Euro-Atlantic security — are negotiating the largest cuts ever made to these arsenals. We encourage them. We are hopeful about the initiative to convene a special summit of the Security Council devoted to the fight against nuclear proliferation. Spain, a nation that renounced the development and possession of nuclear weapons, fully shares that objective and will support it with every means at our disposal. We should immediately undertake to strengthen the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), whose Review Conference in May 2010 will coincide with Spain’s presidency of the European Union.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“The time has come for the General Assembly to adopt a resolution conferring that structural character on the Alliance of Civilizations through a constitutive charter. Spain will work with Turkey and the wider membership of the Alliance’s group of friends in order that such a resolution can be adopted by the end of this fall. I am convinced that it will make a very positive contribution to the work of such bodies as the Human Rights Council, the Economic and Social Council and even the Security Council. The dialogue among civilizations should be the mother tongue of the United Nations. The new multilateralism has been essential for taking significant steps forward in the area of disarmament and arms control, such as prohibiting anti-personnel landmines and cluster bombs.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“The initiative was worth it and — if I may put it this way — it was also right that the United Nations made it its own through Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and his predecessor, Kofi Annan. Spain is therefore pleased that the President of the General Assembly has proposed that the debate at this new session focus on “Effective responses to global crises: strengthening multilateralism and dialogue among civilizations for international peace, security and development”. We must now take a new step. The Alliance of Civilizations, which sets out and promotes those values throughout the entire United Nations, should be a structural component of the main bodies and all other entities of the Organization.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“Respect for the diversity of civilizations, cultures and traditions are crucial to the effectiveness and sustainability of the multilateralism that we wish to see strengthened on the basis of human rights and the universal values that we share as responsible members of the international community. When I launched the Alliance of Civilizations initiative from this very rostrum five years ago, it was at a less favourable time than the present. Yesterday, having heard statements by the President of the United States of America and other international leaders, I thought to myself that this effort has been worthwhile. Today the Alliance is able to deploy its full potential in order to promote the effective multilateralism we desire. We are now able to build.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“Five years ago, I addressed the General Assembly for the first time to propose the establishment of an alliance of civilizations focused on promoting understanding and cooperation between countries and peoples of different cultures and religions, as well as on countering the forces that breed extremism and endanger peace. We cannot be satisfied solely at the fact that the group of friends for that initiative has since grown to over 100 members, or that there are now associated networks of individuals and representatives of civil society organizations who are ensuring the continued existence of the project, or that the third forum of the Alliance will be held next year in Rio de Janeiro. Nor can we be satisfied at the fact that those developments clearly illustrate the universality of the principles underpinning the initiative.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“Our Latin American brothers in that country have in recent years seen the strengthening of both democracy and the prospects for the future. With the support of Spain and the international community, they have now decided that they are going to overcome the challenge before Honduras. We will not accept an anti-democratic coup. We will not accept it, and democracy must return to Honduras. 09-52320 26 Secondly, but no less important, multilateralism requires, if not a culture, an atmosphere of dialogue, respect and acceptance between countries, regions and, more broadly, civilizations.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“But before turning to those challenges, I should like to begin by saying that multilateralism is not just a process for taking decisions and resolving conflicts at the international level. It is indeed that; but in order for multilateralism to be effective and lasting, it must above all include two fundamental elements. First of all, multilateralism is intrinsically linked with the faithful observance of democratic values, human rights and effective equality between women and men throughout the world. In that regard, I very much welcome the last resolution adopted by the General Assembly at the previous session, which will make a single body responsible for all gender issues. Today, however, standing firmly for democracy elicits a single name: Honduras.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“That willingness should also ensure that we do not fail in dealing with extreme hunger and poverty; in effectively committing ourselves to combating the effects of climate change; or in tackling organized crime, terrorism and piracy. We therefore have a great opportunity before us. Here at the general debate, one year after the beginning of the financial crisis that nearly engulfed the well-being of developed countries and dashed the hopes of many others, I would like to reiterate that Spain is a country committed to multilateralism and the need to continue to develop a system of global governance — and that applies to every one of the challenges to which I have just referred.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“We have an obligation to learn from this experience — certainly to learn a lesson with regard to the financial and economic crisis, but also about the other global challenges that require both collective determination and coordinated multilateral political efforts. For those challenges are interrelated. We cannot aspire to economic and social development unless countries and peoples enjoy adequate peace and security. Conversely, it will not be possible to build lasting peace and security unless there is sustainable development. That same willingness to take responsibility for both problems and solutions, which has re-emerged strongly in recent months, should ensure that we do not fail in responding to the conflicts and threats confronting world peace and security.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“A little more than a year ago, we witnessed with great concern the collapse of some of the largest financial institutions of the world’s wealthiest countries. That financial fissure precipitated a global economic crisis which, despite the emerging signs of recovery, all of us continue to experience. We faced the stark reality that we lacked the necessary guidelines and rules to prevent what was occurring in the global financial system, even though it already was a global system. Now, following the G-20 summits in Washington and London, where we laid the foundations to resolve the problems, it is up to the Pittsburgh conference to finish the work. Despite what has been said, this is not the first globalization crisis. Instead, it is the first crisis of global governance, that is to say, a crisis of an insufficiently governed globalization.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“We need all men and women to know that their dignity is dependent on the dignity of their peers. Above all, hundreds of millions of people in Africa, Latin America and Asia need us: that must be the basic purpose of our endeavours. Spain is committed to those endeavours and will fulfil its historic duty to eradicate extreme poverty around the world. This generation can do it; this generation must do it.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“It is a question of placing this immense creative force in the service of those values on which human dignity is based, eliminating arbitrariness, injustice and all forms of discrimination, starting with those that women have so unfairly endured throughout history. We cannot stop; we cannot give up. In the United Nations, with a rational attitude, with the hope engendered by our common values, we can launch an era of world prosperity and unity. For that, we need coordination, not unilateral action. Development must be sustainable and not uncontrolled. We need permanent political dialogue. We should not give in to old temptations or new cold wars. We have to eradicate extreme poverty and denounce the selfishness of the richest. We need the United Nations.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“Spain will continue to assert this conviction in all forums where our contribution is or can be relevant — including, first and foremost, at the United Nations. We will do so not only because it is the best way to stress the key desires of Spanish society, but also because we want to shoulder our responsibility for bringing about the just, secure, caring international order in which we believe. The capacity for human progress cannot be questioned. The thirst for discovery and innovation, the desire to go beyond ourselves, opens the door for meeting human needs every day in all areas.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“Peace and security will be possible only through effective multilateralism based on respect for and the safeguarding of international law. For my country, there is no other way to imagine international order. Four years ago in this very same Hall, I proposed an alliance of civilizations with the objective of building bridges between different cultures and breaking down the walls of misunderstanding. Today, I am satisfied to note that the initiative promoted by Spain and Turkey has been fully endorsed by the United Nations, and enjoys the support of a Group of Friends made up of 90 States and international organizations. The world can hope for peace only when dialogue and understanding of basic values that respect diversity are elevated above intolerance and fundamentalism.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“We need to revise the rules and institutions of the world economy. We need a common vision for the establishment of a new international financial legal system. We have to learn from our mistakes, and do so quickly and in a spirit of cooperation. My Government would like to contribute actively to forging that new international financial order. We will promote and support an agreement that contains definite commitments to supervision, transparency and early warning by national institutions; ensures the flexible capacity of those institutions to provide liquidity and countercyclical reserves of capital to the markets in moments of need; and strengthens the role of international financial bodies. Prosperity for our peoples is possible only if there is international peace and security.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“There is a risk that the poorest countries will end up suffering even more because of improper 25 08-51851 practices in the richer countries. The financial crisis has conclusively demonstrated the need to reconsider economic environments that are immune to regulation and governmental supervision. We already know what speculation in the crucible of deregulation can lead to. Today, it is more important than ever to stress the role of institutions and Government in rationalizing the markets and their instrumentality in serving the real needs of families, the well-being of individuals and their education, health care and social cohesion. At the national level, the State protects markets from their own excesses. The global market lacks similar institutions to develop control and supervision functions.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“It might seen utopian to aspire to achieve the full enjoyment and universal recognition of human rights and the eradication of extreme poverty in the course of a single generation, but those goals are not utopian and never will be. Utopias are often simply premature truths. We must not delay or dismiss them with resignation or blind selfishness. Moreover, it is only by setting off down that road that we can work towards the just, secure and cooperative international order that we all wish to see. The effects of the international financial crisis that began one year ago are spreading throughout most developed and less developed economies, and could affect the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“My country believes that the best way to reaffirm the full value of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and to keep 2015 firmly in view is to strengthen the historical connotation of each. That connotation is nothing less than the exaltation of human dignity as both an impregnable wall against arbitrariness and despotism and as a curb against extreme poverty. A few weeks ago, on behalf of the Government of Spain, I made a proposal that I would like to reiterate today. The year 2015 should be designated as the year of a universal moratorium on the death penalty. That would be a first step towards its abolition. I call upon representatives of countries that still include capital punishment in their legal system to support the measure and to participate in a process of reflection on the meaning of that punishment inflicted by States.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“We must also work urgently to establish a new world financial order that would prevent the recurrence of situations like that we are currently experiencing. It is also urgent that we continue to fight with determination against the hunger and poverty that cause millions of people to suffer unacceptably and continue to be a source of conflict and migratory pressures that are difficult to control. I am speaking on behalf of a country — Spain — that is making great efforts of solidarity in its cooperation policies. Over the past four years, Spain has been the State with the highest increase in its official development assistance; our goal is to reach 0.7 per cent of our gross national income by 2012. Spanish society offers that commitment in response to the current food crisis.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“Aware of that responsibility, eight years ago Member States undertook the unique effort, in historic terms, to alleviate poverty for millions of people worldwide. I wish to make my opinion clear that we have not progressed as we should have or as we planned. However, the needs are the same or even greater than they were when we agreed the Millennium Development Goals eight years ago. Mr. Tanin (Afghanistan), Vice-President, took the Chair. If we are to attain the Millennium Development Goals by 2015, we cannot just sit back. We cannot blame our failure to meet our obligations on the economic situation. We cannot use any circumstance as an excuse to avoid honouring our commitments. It is a question not only of adhering to irreplaceable ethical standards, but of making responsible efforts towards stability and international equality.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“There is no room for complacency because if we look at the horizon for the MDGs, as we have for human rights, the conclusion would be the same: the results are still far from fulfilling our aspirations, precisely because those aspirations retain all of their value, and even grow in value, with the passage of time. Ten years ago, at the commemoration of the fiftieth anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, President Nelson Mandela recalled that poverty is an offence against the Declaration and is the result not of any force of nature, but rather of the action or non-action by human beings, in particular those in leadership positions in politics, the economy and other areas of human activity.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“Together, the observance of human rights and the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals are perhaps the most noble aspirations ever envisioned by humanity, and the most devoted to the dignity of individuals. Just by that fact alone, we can say that, despite all of the suffering deliberately caused by human beings over the last decades, during that time we have learned and we have made progress. We can feel satisfied that we have identified and broadened the horizons of human beings on our planet. We can feel satisfied by that, but by no means should we be complacent.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“In a few weeks’ time, it will be 60 years since the proclamation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. And here we find ourselves at the midpoint in the application of our strategies for the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The Universal Declaration of Human Rights bears witness to the determination to leave us a better world than the one known by our fathers’ generation — a generation that suffered, struggled, defeated totalitarianism and condensed its aspirations for freedom and prosperity in that text. The Millennium Development Goals reflect the will, no less determined, of our generation to confront extreme poverty once and for all, so that we may leave to our 08-51851 24 children a world without millions of human beings suffering from hunger and poverty on a daily basis.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)