YouSaid · the spoken record

Jimmy Morales

lines on the record: 82
first: 2016-09-24
most recent: 2019-09-24
sittings or episodes: 4
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

“Before the Assembly, I want to reaffirm the commitment of my country to resolving permanently and definitively, in the International Court of Justice, our territorial, insular and maritime dispute with Belize, a country with which we aspire to have a privileged relationship and a permanent dialogue about the solution of our common problems. Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to send a message of unity to my country. We are experiencing a moment of polarization that is not favourable to that and will not lead us to any safe place.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“For that reason, tomorrow Guatemala will sign the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, thereby taking an important step to reach a world free of nuclear weapons. My country is concerned about the serious situation facing the Venezuelan people. The political crisis afflicting that beautiful fraternal country is drifting towards the possibility of a rupture of the democratic order, a lack of constitutional guarantees, the violation of human rights and continuous acts of violence, persecution and political repression. We share the serious concern of other countries of the region. That is why we seek to explore ways to contribute to the restoration of democracy in that country through a peaceful and negotiated exit.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“Guatemala, in line with the Non-Proliferation and Disarmament Initiative on nuclear weapons, strongly condemns acts of provocation and destabilization that undermine international peace and security and increase tensions not only at the regional level, but also worldwide. Those acts impede peaceful dialogue with a view to contributing to denuclearization. We have repeatedly condemned the nuclear tests carried out by North Korea, as they are a flagrant violation of international law and various resolutions of the Security Council, as well as of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. Collective security can be achieved only through the prohibition and total elimination of nuclear weapons.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“It is precisely in that sphere, where peacekeeping is one of the most noble tasks of the Organization, in which Guatemala is proud to participate. Our commitment is reflected in the deployment of our contingents to the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and other missions on the African continent where we actively participate, as well as in Haiti, where Guatemalan personnel directly support national efforts with the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti, whose mandate is about to end. We are also honoured to continue participating in the United Nations Mission in Colombia. We will continue to contribute constructively to those international efforts with the highest level of professionalism and dedication.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“In that context, I want to refer to our so-called young dreamers, who help make up a group of people who bring talent, knowledge and work to the development of the communities where they currently live. Like other countries that count on dreamers protected by the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals programme, Guatemala hopes that human sentiment and the regional solidarity of the Government of the United States will prevail so that in the coming months Congress will adopt legislation that allows that group of young people and children to attain permanent legal status and enable them to stay and study in the United States. My country’s role in the multilateral sphere aims to contribute to strengthening the conditions for sustainable peace on the ground.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“That is why we value the efforts of all States Members of the Organization in the process of negotiating the global compact for safe, orderly and regular migration, which is planned as an updated mechanism within the United Nations that prioritizes the capacity, work and contribution of migrants, regardless of their immigration status. Consistent with the need to care for our nationals, we have expanded our consular assistance in the United States in order to promote and protect the human rights of migrants in this country and provide consular assistance closer to them. I would also like to mention that, in April, Panama and Guatemala signed an information exchange and migration alert agreement, which facilitates the mobility of people from both countries and establishes cooperation links in migration matters.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“In June, the Conference on Prosperity and Security in Central America was held in Miami, in which Guatemala was recognized for its strong commitment to the Alliance for Prosperity, its continued support in the fight against drug trafficking and its determined work to advance the shared goals of promoting security in the region. A major issue for my country, with which we have always dealt seriously, is the interinstitutional and international efforts in the migration phenomenon, with special emphasis on the alliances with El Salvador, Honduras, Mexico and the United States of America. Alongside those actors, we have focused on efforts to boost the economy and improve security conditions in order to reduce migration and decrerase the risk migrants face when embarking on a dangerous journey in search of a better quality of life.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“With regard to nutrition and food security, with the support of the World Food Programme we have put together the final report of the strategic review of the situation in Guatemala in that regard, with an emphasis on chronic malnutrition and its root causes. With that tool, we are working hard on our national strategy for the prevention of chronic malnutrition for the period 2016-2020, which is related to the Sustainable Development Goals. Faced with the threat of transnational organized crime, drug trafficking and terrorism, my Government has made the strengthening of justice and security institutions a priority. With that goal in mind, we have been working hand in hand with our international partners to end crime, corruption and drug trafficking once and for all.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“We trust that we will soon begin the relevant actions for both interested parties. The environment is one of the many issues that we wish to address. On 25 January, Guatemala signed and ratified the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. That is a clear demonstration of my country’s level of commitment to meeting its international and national obligations in that regard. I take this opportunity to thank President Emmanuel Macron for his initiative in the global pact for the environment, which we support. Aware of its own high degree of vulnerability and threats of nature, Guatemala already has a national action plan on climate change, so that our domestic legislation may be carried out to achieve mitigation, adaptation and resilience to climate change.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“It is a principle of our country that nobody should interfere in the administration of justice. Whatever form interference might take — direct or indirect, through the media or any act that, though it might not appear connected, could affect sovereignty — it could affect the working of the country. Our Government is fully committed to the fight against corruption and impunity. We have therefore begun the process of reviewing the interpretation and the correct implementation of the CICIG agreement, whereby we hope, in an objective and balanced fashion, to perfect, fine tune and correctly implement the task of the Commission, while guaranteeing due process, the presumption of innocence, and avoiding, at all costs, selective persecution, the politicization of justice and a litigation culture in politics.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“This extension, which I signed in advance, shows our firmest commitment to strengthening and supporting the Commission so that it achieves its goal of transferring its capacities to the State institutions, without setback or challenge. My Administration has significantly increased the budget allocations for the justice sector. The increase is unprecedented in the history of the country so that it may have a strong judicial system. CICIG has performed much good work, and that is precisely why we support it. The limits of its mandate are the political Constitution of the Republic of Guatemala, the laws of our country and the agreement itself — the establishment and elaboration of CICIG. We — Guatemala and the United Nations Secretariat — are the guarantors of its observance.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“That conflict was conditioned by international ideological polarization engendered by political doctrines that are alien to us. Its aftermath weakened State institutions, preventing them from providing necessary services to our people. We recognized our weakness in proceeding alone and therefore turned to the United Nations. At our initiative, we entered into an agreement with the Organization to establish the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG). That experience is unique in the world and has an important mandate that necessitates faithful compliance, not only only as it pertains to us but as a function of the rule of law. The Commission started its work in 2007. At first, it was to last for two years, a period that has been extended five times, most recently on 4 September.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“Guatemala is committed to submitting to its third Universal Periodic Review by the Human Rights Council next November and to a review of its compliance with the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. In a historic event for indigenous peoples, we have drawn up, through consensus and inclusive dialogue, an operational guide for the holding of consultations with indigenous peoples, pursuant to Convention No.169 of the International Labour Organization. The guide will help public institutions to comply with their obligations in consultation with indigenous peoples on the type of development they want to achieve. Again on human rights, I wish to recall that Guatemala, after 36 years of internal armed conflict, signed a peace agreement and took on the even more arduous task of peacebuilding.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“As a sign of of our commitment to peace and development, on 6 July we signed our commitment to the national development agenda, which incorporates the Sustainable Development Goals in our national development plan — K’atún: Our Guatemala 2032 — in order to achieve the goals, targets and indicators set forth in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and thus to affect the well-being of Guatemalans. Similarly, my country has as its priority guaranteeing food security, attaining respect for and promoting human rights, ending poverty, improving the lot of the most vulnerable, stewarding our natural resources and making gender equality a reality.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“May my first words be of solidarity with the people and the Government of Mexico, given the tragedy that has beset that beautiful country today. Guatemala has made available a search-and-rescue team. Similarly, we wish to express our most sincere solidarity with all the Caribbean islands that have been affected by storms and hurricanes. I am grateful to Mr. Peter Thomson for his excellent stewardship as President of the General Assembly during the previoius session, and I wish Mr. Miroslav Lajčák every success as President of the Assembly at its current session. I should also like to take this opportunity to welcome most warmly Secretary-General António Guterres, whom I have already congratulated.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“I wish to conclude both by congratulating all those who contribute to peace and by stating that the General Assembly allows us, as leaders, to reflect and ask ourselves if we are fulfilling the founding promise of the Organization to save succeeding generations from 16-29559 21/28 the scourge of war, to promote social progress, to live in peace as good neighbours and, finally, to unite our strength to universally transform our world and succeed in not leaving anyone behind.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“We are also honoured to be part of the special political mission in Colombia, one of Guatemala’s neighbouring countries, to support the agreement to end the current conflict through a bilateral and permanent ceasefire, the surrender of weapons, security guarantees and an endorsement mechanism for the peace agreements. I congratulate the people and the Government of Colombia on that important achievement. We recognize the part played by the leadership of President Santos in the process and the contribution of the Government of Cuba to it. I also commend the intention to soon hold a plebiscite for the people of Colombia to ratify the peace agreements.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“The nuclear tests recently carried out on the Korean peninsula constitute a flagrant violation of Security Council resolutions and the nuclear non-proliferation regime, and we reiterate our strong condemnation of them. I wish to stress that, for my country, peacekeeping operations and international security represent the ideal of serving under the flag of the United Nations, in an effort to support fellow countries. We are currently contributing to seven operations: in Haiti, Lebanon, Côte d’Ivoire, the Sudan, South Sudan, the Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“I wish to reaffirm the desire of the State of Guatemala to find a permanent solution to the dispute with Belize within the framework of international law, while also reminding the international community of the risks to international security that the continuous deadlock and disputed geographical demarcation pose. It is no secret that powerful transnational criminal organizations thrive on the differences between States and are capable of occupying pockets of undefined territories that lack effective control. Today’s general debate comes at a time when we are facing serious threats to peace and stability in various countries — Iraq, Mali, the Syrian Arab Republic, the Central African Republic, the Sudan and South Sudan, to name but a few.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“Since 1999, the situation has claimed 10 Guatemalan civilian victims in the adjacency zone administered by Belize. On 20 April, a 14-year-old boy was the victim of a fatal attack by armed groups under the command of an army patrol from Belize. According to Belize’s forensic report, the child died from multiple wounds caused by bullets from a high-powered rifle. Guatemalan forensic services confirmed that the child had nine bullet wounds — six in his back, two in the back of his neck and one on the front of his torso. Such grave acts directly harm our two countries’ bilateral relationship and hinder confidence-building.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“Guatemala contends that multilateralism and the promotion of international law are indispensable in solving the problems facing our community of nations, and we hope that peaceful solutions can be found to overcome the differences between States. Guatemala is promoting cooperation schemes and good-neighbourliness in its surrounding area. I wish to express my country’s deep commitment to resolving once and for all, at the International Court of Justice, its land, island and maritime dispute with Belize, a country with which we aspire to have a privileged relationship and to maintain permanent dialogue, as a way to solve our common problems. In recent months, however, the Government of Belize has failed to reciprocate that attitude.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“I wish to express my deep respect and admiration for every single Guatemalan migrant who, through sacrifice and hard work, helps to support his or her family and Guatemala’s development, as well as contributing to the development of the country in which he or she resides. These people really are unsung heroes, exemplary citizens. They live in every corner of the world, and they have rights and are entitled to be treated with greater dignity. It is for that reason that during my country’s statement at the high-level meeting to address large movements of refugees and migrants (see A/71/PV.6 B), we were emphatic in our commitment to the promotion, protection and defence of the human rights of migrants and their families, regardless of their migration status, in origin, transit and destination countries.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“My country recognizes that the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development encompasses a transformative vision and provides a road map with Goals, targets and indicators to tackle the challenges that face humankind. Guatemala endorses the 2030 Agenda; it is aligned with the national development plan K’atun, Our Guatemala 2032, which was developed with the participation of various sectors of society in a resumption of medium- and long-term planning. Being aware that it is impossible to achieve sustainable development if we do not ensure the preservation of our planet’s resources, my country did not hesitate in adopting the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, which I had the honour of signing on 22 April in this very Hall.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“Guatemala reaffirms its commitment to the United Nations and reiterates its multilateral and peaceful mission, convinced that global challenges, such as security, development, respect for human rights and climate change, should be addressed through dialogue and collective negotiation, as part of the global system. For Guatemala, human rights are intrinsically linked to respect, democracy and the rule of law. For that reason, strengthening the international human rights system is one of my Government’s main priorities, and we are committed to promoting the highest international standards in that area through active participation in various forums. I would therefore like to take this opportunity to ask the international community for its support of my country’s declaration of candidacy to the Human Rights Council for the period 2017-2019.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“As for education, our responsibility is to ensure that every child has access to free, high-quality education, with a view to benefiting children and young people in Guatemala through comprehensive education programmes. In the area of public safety, we have focused our attention on lowering rates of violence, delinquency and crime, using prevention policies as part of a comprehensive approach. We have been able to coordinate considerable efforts to deliver greater security to the population and strengthen the investigation and prevention capabilities of our police force, which has allowed us, in various ways, to lower rates of violent death.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“With regard to public health, we are promoting the necessary reforms through strategic efforts focused on improving access for everyone and making primary care the core of the system. We are restoring the supply of medicines and the efficient funcioning of hospitals and strengthening our human resource capacity. My Government’s priorities include reducing chronic malnutrition in children under five and maternal mortality. Today, we must sadly acknowledge that 5 out of every 10 children suffer from chronic malnutrition in my country, which in turn leads to extreme poverty. They have the choice of working from a young age on farms, turning to crime or migrating to the United States. We have therefore designed a national strategy to prevent chronic malnutrition as part of our food and nutrition security policy.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“To meet the wishes of our citizens in their quest to transform the country, my Government has identified five strategic areas: transparency, health care, education, security and development. With regard to transparency, we have committed to a policy of zero tolerance on corruption. To that end, open government has become a fundamental pillar of our Administration, based on transparency, collaboration and participation, and pursuant to the provisions of the inter-American and United Nations conventions against corruption. We know that corruption hampers development, weakens institutions and undermines the modernization of the State. That is why it is vital to combat that scourge.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“It has become one of the most efficient tools of multilateral cooperation in the fight against the networks of crime and corruption that have co-opted strategic parts of States that, like Guatemala, have been challenged by the geopolitics of transnational organized crime. My Government, which took office in January, owes its existence to the citizens’ rejection of the old way of conducting politics. It represents the hope for a return to democratic governance that is ethically based on the common good and not on subordination to special interests. Such are the expectations that our honourable citizenry has placed in me. I must now strive to be the worthy son of such people by doing my bit in the moral and material reconstruction of the nation.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“Their malaise was expressed democraticall, and I can state firmly that, after five consecutive months of peaceful demonstrations in town squares, the rule of law operates more robustly now than it did a year ago, and the people, who week after week took to the streets to protest and make their just and ethical demands, are now more confident in their own transformative power and their ability to create a different kind of country. The International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala played a catalysing and important role in changing the course of our country’s history. The Commission is a Guatemalan initiative that was duly welcomed by the General Assembly and the Secretariat.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“We acknowledge and are grateful for the support received from the United Nations and the Office of the Secretary-General, from the peace negotiation process to the monitoring of the implementation of the agreements concluded by the parties, including valuable support for the strengthening of democratic institutions. We recognize that the United Nations devoted an entire decade of laudable and patient efforts to the building of peace in my country. The year 2015 changed the course of history in Guatemala. The people of Guatemala demonstrated their profound malaise with the State authorities that were betraying the Constitution. They categorically rejected the perverse system of corruption that had been sabotaging our development potential.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“The peace agreements in Guatemala marked not only the definitive ceasefire but also the creation of an agenda of far-reaching legal, institutional and cultural reforms. Guatemala has evolved since then, and the path to fulfilling those agreements has made a significant contribution to the country’s development and modernization. Nonetheless, some commitments have been postponed or are lagging, and now is precisely the time to evaluate and revitalize them. I am referring to critical issues, such as the identity and rights of indigenous people, rural development and the participation of women in all spheres of our society.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“I would like to begin my statement by congratulating Mr. Peter Thomson on his election to the presidency of the General Assembly at its seventy-first session, thanking Mr. Mogens Lykketoft for his work at the previous session and commending Secretary-General Ban Ki- Moon for his leadership in ushering in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. This year, Guatemala is celebrating two anniversaries that have characterized the political life of our country: 30 years of the Esquipulas peace process in Central America, and 20 years since the signature on 29 December 1996 of the Agreement on a firm and lasting peace. The Esquipulas agreements opened the door to political dialogue and negotiations and closed it to a geopolitical conflagration of unimaginable consequences in Central America.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)