YouSaid · the spoken record

Alvaro Arzú Irigoyen

lines on the record: 62
first: 1996-09-24
most recent: 1999-09-24
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

“The fruit that our peace process has manifestly borne in such a short time provides clear evidence of the validity and relevance of the system and of the fundamental, indispensable and inestimable importance of the efforts of the Guatemalan people within the country and of the unquestionable effectiveness of international friendship in the form of respectful, timely and effective cooperation in building a more democratic country and a more equitable and united world. 12”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“This is the last statement that I will make to the General Assembly as the representative of my country, and I should like to conclude by reiterating my people’s gratitude for the solidarity shown to us in our efforts towards peace and development. The support which the peoples and Governments represented here have bestowed upon us, together with the strenuous work of the United Nations and its agencies, make us feel honoured, indebted and motivated.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“As a State Member of the United Nations, Guatemala has always resolved all its international disputes in a peaceful manner and in accordance with international law. We wish to reiterate to the Assembly our concern about the situation of the 22 million inhabitants of the Republic of China in Taiwan whose aspirations for representation in international organizations have not been satisfied. We welcome the new impetus that has been seen in the Middle East peace negotiations and we trust that they will lead to a comprehensive resolution of all the outstanding issues there. After so many years of conflict, the countries of the region, including a future Palestinian State, deserve to live in peace, security, harmony and prosperity.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“This also means that we should pursue the reform of the Secretariat and of the intergovernmental bodies of the United Nations, including the Security Council. We believe also that the United Nations should continue to deal with the greatest unfinished task of the twentieth century: wiping out world poverty. Together with the multilateral financial agencies, our Organization should play an indispensable role in ensuring that the benefits of globalization are distributed on a democratic basis, and that if we must all be exposed to the risks, we should all be entitled to enjoy the benefits. Guatemala appreciates the Organization’s contributions to promoting an international climate enabling disputes between and within States to be settled peacefully.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“We believe that United Nations involvement in such situations confirms its functions as the sole organ competent to decide on the action to be taken in cases where the principle of non-intervention needs to be interpreted with due regard to the existence of violations of international humanitarian law. In order that such functions be performed adequately, we need an Organization that is strong and flexible, with mechanisms and procedures that are capable of responding to the challenges of new world realities. We must accordingly reflect more deeply on the ideal design structure of an Organization that must compensate for the regional imbalances of power that have arisen in the post- cold-war world.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“Like the other States that compose the Central American Integration System, Guatemala is convinced that this strategic association strengthens the region in its relations with an increasingly competitive world, and it reiterates its commitment to continue promoting actions to enhance the effectiveness of Central American integration. For those same reasons, Guatemala wishes to express its unreserved support for the strengthening of our Organization. We are firmly convinced that the United Nations must be the principal forum responsible for maintaining world peace. That is why we welcome the Security Council’s prompt response to the crisis in East Timor.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“The success achieved by intergovernmental bodies in connection with the Guatemalan peace process is our basic reason for reiterating our conviction that cooperation between nations is indispensable in order to achieve peace and development for our peoples. That is why Guatemala remains firmly committed to the promotion of various kinds of multicultural and multi-ethnic undertakings, not only in the framework of the United Nations but also with respect to various endeavours at the regional and hemispheric levels. One of the boldest and most challenging initiatives is the one being undertaken by Central America to achieve the economic and political integration of the region.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“Their political backing has been fundamental to the success of those efforts. I also extend my gratitude to the Secretariat, and in particular to Mr. Kofi Annan, as well as to the executive organs of the various agencies of the United Nations system, which have interpreted the mandates of the Organization and have demonstrated efficiency in their execution. Finally, we fully appreciate the value of the work of other multilateral bodies such as the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the Organization of American States, and in particular the Inter-American Development Bank, which has played a dual role as direct source of financial assistance and organizer of the Consultative Group for Guatemala.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“Our own evaluation of the assistance we have received is highly positive. The number of activities the Organization is carrying out in Guatemala is quite high and increasing. It is therefore only fair to emphasize that the various agencies have been able to mobilize a considerable amount of additional resources from external sources. Another positive contribution of the cooperation in question is the tangible impact it has had, through both its direct effects and its catalytic function in respect of public expenditure and the policies carried out by the Government. I therefore wish to convey our deep appreciation to the States Members of the United Nations, which have at all times supported the efforts of the various sectors of Guatemalan society to restore peace.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“I wish to stress the paramount importance of the role that has been played in Guatemala by the United Nations Verification Mission in Guatemala, with a view to ensuring progress in the implementation of the Peace Agreements. The United Nations presence in our country and the exercise of its advisory and verification functions with impartiality and wisdom have contributed significantly to the implementation of the various phases of the commitments in the Peace Agreements. Our Government attaches similar importance to other initiatives that the United Nations has undertaken in support of Guatemala’s society. Our country is a testing ground for a new assistance framework that aims, among other things, to impart greater consistency to the work of the various agencies of the Organization.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“The progress made in various areas is a source of legitimate pride for all Guatemalans as well as for the States that, as the Group of Friends, have supported us, and in particular for the Organization, whose role as our partner has enabled us to maintain optimism and hope in the difficult task of building peace and development. Guatemala has been able to benefit from the essence of what the Organization does best: make available its good offices and serve as a facilitator in the various phases of the management of a conflict, act as an impartial verifying agency, provide unconditional cooperation and act as a trusted partner in assisting Member States to resolve problems.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“This has involved re-examining principles and rethinking the public security, national defence and intelligence apparatuses. We have made progress in the establishment of a new national civil police. This is a professional body that is trained to focus on the protection and defence of the individual and collective rights of citizens and is sensitive to, and respectful of, ethnic, cultural and linguistic diversities. We have also further reduced our military forces, cutting back the budget and dismantling bases and other important elements of the military infrastructure, as provided for in the Peace Agreements, with the full concurrence and participation of the army.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“Also noteworthy are the efforts that have been made to decentralize the State and strengthen local institutions with a view to a rapprochement between the Government and the people and to giving them a greater say in public affairs. Another fundamental process consists in the efforts being made to build a multicultural, plurilingual and multi- ethnic nation. This involves extremely complex work to roll back centuries of exclusion, discrimination and racism, and it presupposes profound cultural changes towards the tolerance and respect necessary for our cultural diversity to blossom and make the many contributions it can to our national development without putting the unity of the country at risk. It has also been essential to redefine national security and defence.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“The peace agenda is equivalent to the democratization of the country, which is conceived as a functional and participatory democracy encompassing the political and cultural domains. A functioning democracy 10 involves reform of the State, and its participatory character is what enables it to become a social democracy, which in turn strengthens its functionality. In this respect, I cannot fail to mention the substantial increase in opportunities for popular participation that has resulted from the establishment, as mandated in the peace agreements, of over 15 multi-sectoral commissions, as well as the measures taken to extend and complement structures for the elaboration and adoption of public policy.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“For even if we must continue to swim against the current of the world economy, which is temporarily impoverishing us, we have available internal resources and can count on ongoing processes that are likely to produce structural change, provided that the efforts made over the past four years are consolidated, sustained and continued. The Peace Agreements are, for Guatemala, the strategic elements of a profound, comprehensive and all- embracing effort to change our country. They represent the basic guidelines for the fundamental transformations necessary to build a different Guatemala, one that is profoundly democratic and committed to the integral and sustainable development of its people.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“The work done on the roads and highways and on the electrical grid and telecommunications has significantly expanded the main bases of our economy. As a result of all these and other endeavours, the effects in our country of the negative economic developments taking place abroad have been less severe than in our sister countries that have stopped growing or have experienced negative economic growth. We have created a foundation that will have a positive impact on the standard of living of the people, and especially of the neediest. These beneficial results will continue if we stay the course.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“This trend which is mainly caused by external factors, has been compounded by the direct and indirect effects of hurricane Mitch, which struck our sister countries of Honduras and Nicaragua particularly hard but also brought serious destruction to our own country and seriously affected trade within the Central American region, on which we are highly dependent. As a result, the State’s efforts to boost development cannot be as successful as they might otherwise be, particularly when compared with our people’s expectations. We have created investment incentives, beginning with political stability, and going on to education and training, creation of infrastructure and provision of basic services. What has been accomplished in the way of public works and public services has generated tens of thousands of jobs.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“Nevertheless, our internal endeavours have taken place in an adverse world economic context. As in almost every other Latin American country, the economy in Guatemala is experiencing a slowdown and a financial squeeze. Together with the effects of the crises in various regions and the persistent financial speculation that is constantly chipping away at productive, job-creating investment, the prices of our main export products have plummeted while the cost of our imports, particularly oil, have gone up substantially. The negative impact of this situation particularly affected the strata of our society who are least capable of fending for themselves.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“Inherent to the processes through which the former guerrillas have been reintegrated and the refugees have been repatriated are reconciliation, tolerance, respect for diversity and legal or otherwise agreed solutions to conflicts. The main thrust of public investment embodies a social ethic based on the common good and a tangible effort to improve access to opportunities for the least regarded sectors. Thus both processes form the foundations for maintaining and strengthening peaceful coexistence between Guatemalans, which has been the most significant qualitative result of the peace accords of December 1996: on the one hand, a peaceful settlement to the conflicts and, on the other, increasing efforts to redress the most serious injustices and opportunities for development for all.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“We have gone as far as the most remote villages and hamlets and brought them education, health services, roads, electricity and water, though we know that much remains to be done. What we have achieved so far has already shown that if we can consolidate the opening to progress which our country has made, we can quickly remedy the effects of so very many years of backwardness. We are also investing in the infrastructure and facilities needed for production in order to improve the country’s competitive position in the globalized world of today. I would say that these two fundamental aspects I have mentioned, the reintegration of the former guerrilla forces into society and social investment, contain the fundamental elements on which a new Guatemala will be based.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“At the local level, both the refugees and the former guerrillas have returned to their towns and villages and today, in many of those places, development committees have been set up composed of returnees, former guerrillas, former members of the civil patrols and former members of the armed forces, all of them working together to improve the lot of their communities by striking at the roots of their problems. 9 Also, at the public policy level, peace has meant social investment on a scale and of a quality unprecedented in our country’s history. That investment has been effected in accordance with the social ethic and the development logic of the peace accords, and have also met the specific targets set in those accords. Thus we have gone farther than anyone has before.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“Nevertheless, against all expectations, from the moment the ceasefire took hold until the former guerrillas took part in the electoral process, reintegration has taken place in an atmosphere not only of security but also of openness and tolerance on the part of all sectors of society. I should also like to highlight here the attitude of the Guatemalan army, which involved itself fully in the negotiating process and made fundamental contributions to it and then, once the peace accords had been signed, not only complied fully with their provisions but was also positive in its attitude towards them. By acting in accordance with the spirit of the accords and not just the letter, it encouraged reconciliation and peaceful coexistence with its former adversaries.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“Today I return to this Assembly four months before my term of office expires to summarize all that has transpired during the past three years of changes, many of which Guatemalans could not imagine when we signed the peace accords on 29 December 1996. The first and most fundamental change that has taken place has been in the hearts and minds of Guatemalans, as can be seen in the way that the former guerrillas have been brought back in from the cold and are no longer outlaws, and in the return of the refugees. After over three decades of an internal armed conflict marked by extreme cruelty, a conflict which was, among other things, an expression of profound and deep- rooted political and ideological intolerance, all the indications were that reintegrating the former guerrillas was going to be a complicated and dangerous process.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“I wish first of all to express our satisfaction at your election, which has accorded you the privilege of conducting the debate at this fifty-fourth session of the General Assembly. I wish also to express our conviction that your recognized diplomatic and political experience will lead to creative results. I should also like to pay a tribute to the Foreign Minister of the Eastern Republic of Uruguay, Mr. Didier Opertti, whose diligence at the helm of the Assembly last session not only bore witness to his professional abilities, but also confirmed the commitment of that American nation to the principles on which the United Nations is based. Exactly three years ago, on first taking the floor here, I began by announcing that we were very close to achieving peace in my country.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“We have redoubled our efforts to ensure that Central America is more united and better prepared to face the enormous challenges of its development and to respond creatively and dynamically to the international demands of our contemporary and ever changing world. We, the Central American leaders, have come together to this forum as genuinely united nations to demonstrate our common aim of regional unity and the efforts we are making to that end. We reiterate our deep appreciation for the support and cooperation of the international community to date, and I offer my best wishes for the prosperity of all as the new millennium dawns.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“And that is how we agreed to begin the gradual and continuing process of setting up the Central American Union, as a higher expression of communitarian partnership stipulated in the 1991 Protocol of Tegucigalpa. Thus, we have taken the first step in a broad and complex process that can bring us closer to the vision of a Central American Union, with the ultimate goal of producing the concrete results sought by our populations: overcoming poverty, creating opportunities, increasing the number of jobs, activating our production capacity, increasing our competitiveness, equitable and unified participation in the benefits of development, genuine democratization, equitable access to an efficient system of justice and the legitimate enjoyment of peaceful coexistence.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“We agreed on the broadest possible review and modernization of our regional institutional framework, as we were convinced that the benefits of development to which our people are entitled cannot be tapped by each country separately — they are attainable only to a regional community, because of the dynamics of today’s increasingly interdependent environment. For the first time, at our most recent meeting in Managua, all the Governments of the area agreed that we need to look beyond economic integration and clearly show the will and resolve needed to direct our efforts towards a possible regional political union, a community of independent nations that pool their capabilities without losing their individuality.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“19 During the past three years we have made extraordinary progress in our integration efforts, which extend from a new conceptual horizon, one that has become better balanced and more inclusive with the creation of the Alliance for Sustainable Development and the establishment of innovative regional projects to increase regional competitiveness by means of joint efforts on the part of Governments, academic centres and sectors of production. We replaced the former common market in 1991 with a new legal framework that created the Central American Integration System (SICA). However, as we were also convinced of the need to go beyond mere governmental cooperation in our regional integration efforts, a few weeks ago, in Panama, we took an important step towards strengthening, deepening and developing our regional cooperation.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“It gives us real pride and hope to be able to share with the Assembly a brief summary of our advances in that process and of the important decisions that we have recently taken. Fully aware that the region is going through a rare historical moment, one characterized by the existence of popularly elected Governments in all of the countries of Central America and a situation of peace, we deem it essential to design and implement regional and unified responses to the demands of our peoples and the challenges of globalization.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“All of these important changes in my country are being verified and supported by the United Nations, for which we are deeply thankful. All these changes can be added to others that have already taken place in our isthmus and that are enabling us to rediscover our regional agendas of democratization and development. Indeed, while peace negotiations were progressing and maturing in Nicaragua, El Salvador and Guatemala, we once again undertook to revitalize our regional integration process. Following the finalization of the series of peace negotiations, that process of integration and regional development has taken on a renewed vigour and dynamism and has recently received a further important impetus.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“The commitments on investment and public expenditure on health, education, justice and security for the people are already reflected in detail in the budget for next year, not only increasing the ratio of social investment to levels unprecedented in our history but also changing their orientation in order increasingly to favour rural areas. The National Congress is ready to discuss the agreed constitutional amendments. Similarly, the agreed institutional reforms have begun to be implemented in all areas. The process of the return of refugees from the neighbouring brotherly country of Mexico will be completed before the end of this year, and the guerrilla organizations that formed part of the URNG, having been demobilized, are returning to legality and are becoming a political organization that will participate in future elections.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“Thanks to the will of the parties and the timely and determined collaboration of the international community, in barely three months the demobilization of the former guerrilla combatants was completed, with the assistance of a military Verification Mission of United Nations Blue Berets, approved by the Security Council. Without going into undue detail, I can reaffirm what we reported a few days ago in my country: the process of compliance with the peace accords is going forward decisively with regard to all fronts and commitments. The joint commissions envisaged in the accords have already been established, thus creating the broadest and most diversified structures of citizen participation in our history.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“As may be recalled, at last year’s session I came before the Assembly anticipating peace in my country. In less than 10 months during 1996 we were able to complete negotiations on seven specific peace accords in Guatemala with the Unidad Revolucionaria Nacional Guatemalteca (URNG) and thus, on 29 December of last year, we arrived at the signature of the final Agreement on a Firm and Lasting Peace. Thus we did put an end to the 36 years of internal armed conflict that had torn at the very vitals of my country. As many here know, the process of complying with the accords has advanced with firm steps.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“We must recall that barely 12 years ago we Central Americans were on the verge of a regional war and that our countries were experiencing the with full intensity of being one of the last settings of the so-called cold war. But then negotiation prevailed over conflict and we found Central American roads to peace, which led, 10 years ago to the Esquipulas II Accords, embodying the procedure for a firm and lasting peace in Central America. The processes of dialogue and reconciliation moved forward along difficult and complex roads. The heat of battle was replaced by the warmth of debate. Weapons were laid down, and we began the difficult but unpostponable march towards reconciliation, towards a return to the rule of law, towards democratic strengthening and towards peaceful and constructive coexistence.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“Central America is undergoing remarkable changes, and the Central American leaders wish to share together here in this world forum the progress achieved in our region. We bring news of peace, democracy and development, news of understanding and cooperation, news of accord and unity. Our region is leaving behind years of internal war and authoritarianism to move into a constructive stage of political, economic, social, cultural and ecological strength, one that will enable us to enter the new millennium with new hopes and achievements by our peoples. And this new stage is being constructed with the respectful participation and responsible support of the international community.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“It is a great honour for me, as the representative of the people of Guatemala and as President pro tempore of the Central American Integration System, to congratulate you, Mr. President, on your well-deserved election to preside over the General Assembly at its fifty- second session. We wish to thank the President and the Secretariat for their understanding in allowing us to alter protocol and to address the Assembly in the form of a joint presentation. We Central Americans deemed it necessary and timely to do so because we wish in this way to highlight the importance, the scope, the depth and the extent of the changes that are taking place in Central 18 America after years of confrontation and suffering for our peoples and our region. We bring good news.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“We wish also to express our appreciation to other Governments that, without being a formal part of this Group, have substantially contributed to the advancement of our reconciliation and development. Many thanks to all those persons of good will, committed to peace in my country.”
1996-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 51 (1996)
“We wish especially to thank the Moderator appointed by the Secretary- General for the negotiations between the Government of Guatemala and the Unidad Revolucionaria Nacional Guatemalteca (URNG), the small but efficient Guatemala Unit of the Secretariat and all the members of the United Nations Mission for the Verification of Human Rights and of Compliance with the Commitments of the Comprehensive Agreement on Human Rights in Guatemala (MINUGUA), as well as the other Secretariat officials who, in one way or another, directly or indirectly, have contributed to the success of the peace process. Our deep gratitude goes also to the six countries that constitute the Group of Friends of the peace process, 6 which have worked so doggedly for that long-sought goal — Colombia, Mexico, Norway, Spain, the United States of America and Venezuela.”
1996-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 51 (1996)
“It is also becoming a broad and open horizon for discovery, an opportunity to search for ways to encompass the aspirations, proposals and initiatives of so many people from inside and from abroad, and above all, to go on creating spaces for self-expression by the people and the communities of my country, which, with such courage, endurance, valour and desire, have not succumbed to adversity. I wish to attest to the gratitude of my people and my Government to the Secretary-General and to all the officials who in various capacities have contributed to advancing the peace negotiations in my country, as well as to making a reality of the various complex efforts at development that we are undertaking.”
1996-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 51 (1996)
“There is an order that has gone into crisis, but there is a new order that cannot yet be clearly perceived. All institutions are being put to the test. We view with appreciation and hope the fact that this interaction between Guatemala’s experience and the respectful participation of Governments and multilateral institutions is yielding modest but valid solutions, enabling us to envisage a simple, competent and less bureaucratic form of institutional structures, and a kind of cooperation that does not undermine the precarious living conditions of the poor majorities in our countries and that contributes ideas and technical skills with due respect for our population. Guatemala is becoming a laboratory for cooperation with respect, of partnership rather than imposition.”
1996-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 51 (1996)
“Guatemala attaches great importance to the principle of universality that must characterize the United Nations, and this leads us to express our conviction that the Republic of China on Taiwan must also be fully represented in our Organization and must actively participate in the search for solutions in this new global, interdependent world. In our opinion, and taking into account earlier positive experiences, this in no way contradicts any effort at reunification. It is often said that we are living in a time of change. But it is much more than that: this is a change of times. We are living just on the bridge between two different eras of world history, where we cannot yet make out the difference between what is ending and what is beginning.”
1996-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 51 (1996)
“We need a real opening of markets and fair prices for our products, as well as foreign investment to add to the internal savings achieved through the generation of jobs and the stable improvement of our productive capacity. We also need the complement of technical and financial cooperation, above all during the stage immediately following the signing of the peace. For all of these reasons, Guatemala appreciates the support and recognition of the international community. For those same reasons, Guatemala also aspires to contribute, to the extent of its modest possibilities, to strengthening the multilateral system and respectful understanding among nations.”
1996-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 51 (1996)
“The greatest challenge and the greatest opportunity for Guatemala resides in organized, realistic and coherent implementation of the commitments derived from the agreements undertaken. That is why we must understand them as a starting point that opens up a new page of challenges and efforts for all the population. For its part, the Government has taken on some very daring and far-reaching commitments that encompass almost all its institutions. They imply major legal reforms and major budgetary efforts. These commitments have made it possible to reach the agreements, and stability and the strengthening of peace and stability depend upon their fulfilment. But to do all of this, we also need the understanding and firm support of the international community.”
1996-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 51 (1996)
“That broad set of commitments prepares Central Americans to wage a comprehensive fight against trafficking in drugs and in human beings. There can be no stable democracy over the long term if there are extreme inequalities in the distribution of wealth and of social opportunities. Democratic citizenship 5 poses the question of how we are to incorporate those who are unlikely to have access to public institutions; those who, because of poverty or discrimination, cannot invoke their rights or have them recognized. No democracy is possible when a significant percentage of the population is living in extreme poverty. Our democracy must generate economic conditions that permit the satisfaction of the basic needs of the population.”
1996-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 51 (1996)
“The assurance that our children will not die because of negligence or lack of medical attention, the security of a stable job, plans and facilities for the acquisition of housing, security of access to a competitive educational system allowing us to learn and to teach our children, the security of ample nutrition, security for our possessions and for our lives, access to and equal treatment under impartial and timely systems of justice — these are the key aspects of comprehensive security. In this regard, Central America has taken important decisions to renew its agendas under the Alliance for Sustainable Development, which it is taking decisive steps to implement, including through the Treaty on Democratic Security signed by the Presidents of the isthmus at San Pedro Sula in December 1995.”
1996-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 51 (1996)
“That is where reconciliation must take place and where we must identify the true enemies of peace: poverty, discrimination, exclusion and intolerance. We live in a spirit of solidarity within a fragile shared space. Our mission is to care for it and improve it as a legacy for coming generations. That space, that possibility, does not belong to us; it is but a legacy of what former generations did or failed to do. Solidarity is not limited to those who stand before us; there is a kind of solidarity that embraces even those who have not yet been born. What can we do to ensure that this solidarity accepts life as a primary, elementary and basic value, when we have lived for so long immersed in violence? We will attain development when we become capable of providing comprehensive security for all Guatemalans.”
1996-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 51 (1996)
“Peace is made on a day-to-day basis, by the entire population, which takes seriously the need for reconciliation and realizes optimistically that it is possible to have fair opportunities to work, educate oneself, be productive and improve one’s situation. Peace is built by men and women of flesh and blood, with their differences, passions, interests and enmities. Peace is built day by day, in villages, hamlets, neighbourhoods and communities. Peace is built through ordinary coexistence, with all Guatemalans, male or female, striving daily to make a living and to help their families get ahead, seeking out better opportunities while enduring hardships in a country with so many limitations and so much distrust.”
1996-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 51 (1996)
“We now face the hardest part of our task, but also the most challenging part, replete with possibilities: that of creating peace, of building peace. We would do well, therefore, to recall two fundamental points: first, the peace that we are striving to build has a specific orientation; and, secondly, peace is not made only by those who sign the agreements. We seek a peace that is well oriented. We should not be content with a precarious peace, or with political accommodations made for the occasion, with no sense of direction or permanence. The accords signed so far, and those that are to follow, express basic agreements that, taken as a whole, constitute a specific agenda aimed at deepening democracy and furthering development. Furthermore, peace is not made only by those who sign the agreements.”
1996-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 51 (1996)
“At this singular moment at the end of the century, when we are celebrating the International Decade of the World’s Indigenous People, it is fitting to point out that Guatemala has recently ratified and deposited International Labour Organization Convention 169, the Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention, which strengthens the rule of law in Guatemala by conferring benefits and guarantees on the Mayan population with regard to property, conditions of employment, training for professions, crafts and rural industries, health, social security, education, the administration of justice, the environment and the proper and rational use of natural resources. We are very close to the signature of an Agreement on a Firm and Lasting Peace.”
1996-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 51 (1996)
“But it is worthwhile to stress the enormous effort that has gone into fulfilling the agreements already signed, even before most of them have come into force. In particular, we have had remarkable successes in the field of human rights, as has been recognized by various commissions and subcommissions dealing with the issue.”
1996-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 51 (1996)