YouSaid · the spoken record

Luis Almagro

lines on the record: 57
first: 2010-09-24
most recent: 2014-09-24
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

“Every time justice is not rendered, it must be our mission, as leaders, to demand accountability. Every time we recognize a new right, it is our obligation to remember those who still cannot exercise that right and to work tirelessly for their benefit.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“The eradication of any form of violence in this world is a crucial issue. It is essential to have negotiated solutions that parties agree on, and contributions by peacekeeping missions are essential to providing maximal guarantees in the world. Human rights should be fully respected. They should be fully monitored, and guarantees should be provided in that regard to every individual. The authorities should ensure that human rights are fully monitored to ensure that their people enjoy the broadest possible freedoms. Uruguay deplores violence in all its forms. The substance of violence is bad at its core. There is no justification for violence to continue to spread in the world today. Every time one right is undermined, it is our responsibility, as those who govern, to lead the fight for its restoration.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“That is why my country rejects, for example, any coercive, unilateral or extraterritorial measures that contravene the norms of international law and the principles of the Charter of the United Nations. The clearest example of that is the unjust blockade imposed against Cuba. We would like to once again express our strongest rejection of it. Uruguay would like to unequivocally demand that Cuba be stricken from the list of countries who harbour terrorists. In the same vein, Uruguay would like to call for an end to be put to financial speculation by vulture funds. It is important that countries be able to restructure their sovereign debt in predictable, unchanging and just conditions without impacting development and, thus, the well-being of their people. Global peace and security are essential.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“It is estimated that 30 to 50 per cent of the food produced every year is never consumed by people, and the situation is worsening due to soil erosion, growing water scarcity, climate change and the improper use of toxic substances in the food production chain. Combating climate change is a top priority. The need to implement policies today and not put them off until tomorrow is the moral imperative of every single individual in this Hall, so that we can give concrete content to the sustainable development goals and continue to grow. It is also important to continue to develop civil and political society, which we must support. The principle of the legal equality of States is essential.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“It is therefore crucial that we have national policies that focus on healthy lifestyles. In 2013, Uruguay legalized the sale of cannabis, choosing an alternative regulatory model to combat drug trafficking and its disastrous consequences in society. We do not claim to be an example or a trailblazer, but we do, obviously, want to redesign the kinds of policies that have categorically failed to date and that have not produced the expected results. The critical situation in the world today with respect to food security is a structural problem. It is the result of bad global policies. One of every eight people, many of them children, suffer from chronic malnutrition. Humankind wastes more than a third of all the food we produce, which would be enough to resolve the problem of hunger.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“It is essential to fight for equality and to eliminate discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. All rights are part of the best social structure — love. Love is the essential factor that eliminates inequality and discrimination, that makes us all equal and that allows us to identify with our fellow human beings. The comprehensive human rights agenda must be based on an increasing number of rights for an increasing number of people so that everyone is able to grow in freedom and equality. We need to continue to make definitive progress on social topics such as communicable and non-communicable diseases. That includes those related to tobacco consumption, from which, as I mentioned, over 8 million people die every year. It is expected that that figure will continue to rise.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“The gender perspective that we need to promote should also be aligned with key rights for every individual who may suffer from even a little bit of discrimination in this world. The women’s agenda is one of the most powerful vectors for development that we can design. Any type of discrimination involves some form of underdevelopment, because discrimination based on gender, ethnicity, religion, disability, sexual orientation or migratory status is contrary to what our societies need. Our societies must be more inclusive. Our societies should incorporate every single one of those rights into our political system and legal protections, whether they relate to the right of same-sex marriage, the right of those who cohabit, or the rights of those with HIV.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“Poverty is experienced at many levels, and each country is responsible for granting ever more rights to help its people overcome poverty, improve conditions and eliminate discrimination. All efforts are valuable in every one of our countries, and as is every non-governmental organization that charts the way or denounces an abuse of human rights or seeks to improve opportunities for women, children, youths, retired people and migrants in different areas, such as health care, education, social protection, decent work, social and economic opportunities, whether they are employed as rural or domestic workers. In every individual there is an enormous potential that needs to be protected and fostered.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“Within that framework, we should step up our efforts every year and seek to define more clearly the sustainable development goals that will make up the post-2015 sustainable development agenda in a balanced, transparent and consensual way that envisions integration of the three dimensions of sustainable development: social, economic and environmental. We should eliminate poverty from the perspective of human rights and the recognition of those rights. The wealth that comes into the world causes an increase in the gross domestic product and exports and creates more dynamic investment, all of which must be accompanied by a logical recognition of rights. We are more developed and richer when we have more rights to exercise, when those rights are protected, and when we have more guarantees against the growing inequalities in the world.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“Today’s world is one of sheer confusion in which humanitarian crises follow upon political crises, which in turn follow upon financial, economic and social crises. Here in this building we have our own microclimate; we wear elegant suits, eat in expensive restaurants and drive large, modern cars. What happens to people who are not insiders but who suffer in refugee camps where their families are killed, their villages are destroyed and they are tortured, or where their environments are destroyed by the effects of climate change? No one who has gained a right should lose it the next day; we need to protect that right. We need to offer better opportunities. The Millennium Development Goals have served as a useful tool to foster and channel efforts for specific purposes, but we should not leave countries alone in those efforts.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“The United Nations has been unable to build a system to find solutions, and it has failed fundamentally in its ethical dimension. There has been no dearth of work, documents or meetings, but there has been a lack of solutions for people. Our shared ethics should be based on the people. Our shared ethical structure in this case must be capable of incorporating our diversity, to free us with democracy and participation. We need to grow and develop multilateralism, which is the only path and basic instrument to promote that shared ethical structure, ensuring ever more rights for ever more people. We need to grow and develop in freedom. The political and financial crises of this world are linked to common values and ethical standards.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“It is a world where military bombs strike and kill those in schools, ethnic or religious minorities, or those who may adhere to different political beliefs. It is a world where natural disasters devastate countries one year and again the following year and the next, as they have in the brotherly countries of the Caribbean. In this world, those who act as global police have bequeathed social and political disasters wherever they have gone. Global governance has been inspired not by rights, but by interests. Those narrow interests were paid for with people’s lives, human rights violations and migration, in which people have had to leave their homes, cities and countries, vulnerable and facing anguish, violence and death again and again.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“Ours is a harsh and difficult world — a complex, sometimes disgraceful world where 6 million children die each year before their fifth birthday, many from problems related to malnutrition; where violence has taken on a new dimension of terror and horror, with hundreds of thousands of deaths in Libya, Syria and Iraq; and where human rights violations and crimes against humanity occur more frequently and with greater ferocity and are the daily reality in those countries. It is a world where more than 8 million people die every year from tobacco consumption — an incredible genocidal activity that cannot be stopped and is promoted by markets that are increasingly more open, free, less regulated, and licensed to operate in contravention of people’s rights to life and health.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“It is our ambition to continue those efforts from within the Security Council should our country be elected, as we hope, to that body as a non-permanent member for the period 2016-2017.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“Now more than ever, we must revitalize our global alliance for development and increase international cooperation. Finally, if the strength and sustainability of the rule of law at the national level depend on the active participation of citizens in defending the standards that ensure every society’s continued coexistence and development, at the international level it requires full compliance with the principles of international law and the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations and strong commitment to the causes of peace, the peaceful settlement of disputes and multilateralism. That is the main goal that Uruguay has pursued during the process of building the United Nations, both as a founding Member and through its participation in the activities of the General Assembly.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“It is essential that the United Nations adapt to global challenges, guarantee its presence on the ground and respond to all the challenges faced by developing countries in accordance with their priorities and needs. It is thus imperative that development processes emphasize one of the greatest threats to the rule of law and democracy — poverty, particularly extreme poverty, which causes instability and insecurity. Our country has given absolute priority to combating that scourge purposefully and head on. In the past year alone, Uruguay was able to reduce the percentage of people living in poverty from 18.6 to 13.7 per cent, and of those in extreme poverty from 1.1 to 0.5 per cent. Combating the adverse effects of climate change, a key challenge to achieving sustainable development, is also one of our priorities.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“Through its firm commitment to peacekeeping operations, Uruguay has played and will continue to play a proactive and constructive role both at Headquarters and on the ground. Nevertheless, we must make greater efforts and work for better coherence among all the actors involved in order to eliminate or minimize as far as possible the numbers of civilian victims of armed conflicts. Human rights are universal, interdependent and indivisible. Ensuring that they are enforced, protected and promoted is possible only through a firmly established rule of law and well-functioning democratic institutions, democracy, good governance and a more effective multilateral system.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“The situation has deteriorated and the suffering of the civilian population has become intolerable. We support the work of the independent international commission of inquiry established by the Human Rights Council, which in its most recent report (A/HRC/21/50) states that there is reason to believe that Government forces are committing crimes against humanity. All violence in Syria must cease immediately; it is essential that we establish a process of dialogue aimed at reaching a peaceful solution. Uruguay supports the mediator role of the United Nations within a framework of a strict respect for international law and the principles of the Charter. The protection of civilians is a multifaceted task, of which the most sensitive and important aspect is protecting those facing imminent danger of physical violence.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“We have promptly, clearly and constructively expressed our position on situations involving serious violations of human rights, ethnic cleansing, crimes against humanity and war crimes. Uruguay has been a party to the Rome Statute since 2002 and has enacted a law that can be seen as a model of cooperation with the International Criminal Court. Seven years ago, when the Assembly was considering the concept of the responsibility to protect, we committed to ending mass atrocities, giving priority to prevention and aiding States that so requested to comply fully with their responsibilities to protect their peoples from such scourges and to respond speedily and decisively in accordance with the provisions of the United Nations Charter. We firmly condemn the serious violations of human rights that are taking place in Syria.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“Our country’s longtime goal in this area was realized at the regional level through the establishment in 1969 of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights under the San José de Costa Rica Pact. Uruguay has been a member of the Human Rights Council since its creation in 2006 and is its President for the period 2011-2012. During our mandate, we have advocated for a new culture of dialogue, for the progressive and incremental utilization of special procedures and other instruments for action before resorting to coercive or confrontational measures, for a two-way cooperative model between States and the United Nations system, for greater regional coordination and for the importance of civil society’s participation.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“Similarly, we call for redoubled efforts to enable us finally to conclude a treaty regulating the arms trade, which has a serious impact on Latin American and Caribbean countries and other developing regions of the world. Regarding the promotion and protection of human rights, Uruguay’s coordination with the international system has reached a very high level. Our country is party to all legal instruments relating to human rights and international humanitarian law. It offers an open invitation to all universal and inter-American special procedures to visit the country and recognizes the binding jurisdiction of all monitoring committees for receiving individual complaints and communications. At the same time, Uruguay has expressed its preference for establishing international jurisdictional bodies and institutions.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“The United Nations has grasped that reality, and it is encouraging to see that strengthening the rule of law, and the institutions whose job it is to implement that rule of law, is central to the tasks of the Organization’s various peacekeeping, peacebuilding and special political missions, including the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti, to which Uruguay is a principal contributor. Our historical belief that a national society must be ruled by law means that we believe that the community of sovereign nations should regulate itself in conformity with international law. In that context, it is Uruguay’s hope that the international community can take effective steps towards eliminating nuclear weapons and focus its efforts on eliminating this terrible threat still hanging over humankind.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“Among other things, this requires reducing or eliminating the distortions that pose obstacles to commercial exchange, particularly agriculture subsidies, internal supports and other protectionist measures that prevent international trade from becoming a factor that contributes to solving the financial crisis that is currently affecting the global economy. Economic and social development requires the stability and predictability that the rule of law ensures.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“Everyone is aware that countries such as ours operate within highly competitive international markets, that we do not determine prices, that commodity prices f luctuate thus altering our national export matrix, and that we are exposed to successive financial crises. Continuing with this line of thought, it is essential to prioritize Uruguay’s involvement in the international community, integrating international aspects of the country’s issues in the areas of agriculture, industry, commercialization and financing, all with the purpose of eliminating poverty, achieving social justice and firmly establishing primary education.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“Our responsibilities as a community of nations cannot be avoided, as some of those problems occur as a natural result of the conditions and characteristics of relations among States. The international context tends to concentrate wealth, efficiency and competitiveness and has no mechanisms to redistribute the resources in a fair and efficient manner that would provide a roof to every homeless person, a plate of food to every hungry person or break the chains of the oppressed. The international system is based on the struggle of national interests for a more powerful position, and that means that the concentration of power becomes ever greater.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“His thinking was truly revolutionary, but there was something in it even more revolutionary, because he took on the task of orchestrating and executing the changes that would provoke the redistribution of resources. He took his solutions to the most needy: widows with children, children, and poor blacks, zambos and creoles. Development requires change. The present day has given us, as a fundamental condition of our projects, insoluble problems such as poverty, malnutrition, overcrowding, unemployment, child mortality and other socioeconomic scourges that still afflict most of humanity. Therefore, this system requires a change, and the only way to carry it out is to transform reality.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“The solution requires that the system provide each person the greatest guarantees of his political rights and that it be fair with regard to the obligations and responsibilities in that respect. The greatest freedom implies the greatest responsibility. Each person, as both an individual and part of the community, must receive, possess and enjoy the rights that are fundamental to ensuring the well-being of all as a way to transform solutions into reality. The struggle for transformation determines the struggle of each person to find a solution for his problems. Resolving the issues inherent in poverty, lack of freedom or impediments to the enjoyment of economic, social and cultural rights requires concrete, urgent and immediate action. Almost 200 years ago, someone declared that the most unfortunate would be the most privileged.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“It is peace, it is freedom, because without that we cannot be actively aware of noble causes that require that one not be dominated or oppressed — and without that, there is nothing. It is dignified housing that protects a family, work with dignity at a fair wage, the right to education and the responsibility of each individual. It is the health care that can save the 7 million children under 5 years of age who die each year around the world and that cares for the elderly, for women and for the destitute. What is truly revolutionary is to change the conditions of life for those who cannot fully enjoy their rights, because our political ideal must be, essentially, the human dimension.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“Even today, it is not a priority to invest in countries’ human resources according to their specific needs. The political system has acted to control or decide political destinies, rather than to ensure the security or well-being of the people. Those who suffered before are suffering now. Powerful countries still threaten or intervene in other countries. We have written about values and principles and have incorporated them in our constitutions. We have preached in many ways about what is good for everyone. But we have not succeeded in meeting the basic needs of billions of poor people, nor have we guaranteed them programmes for health, education, housing or employment. The basis of social justice has not changed.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“The rule of law and democracy are not acquired values; rather, they must be defended each day as precious goods. Recent events such as what happened in Paraguay demonstrate that the rule of law is still threatened and that despite progress in terms of democratic institutions in all our nations, threats to the full exercise of fundamental rights and democratic values persist. That represents a great challenge to our aspiration to strengthen the integration and development of our countries, making the defence of the rule of law and the democratic order a necessary and unavoidable condition. Despite the great changes that have afflicted humanity, the international system continues to work hard, yet it does not resolve the problems, or resolves them unfairly. It has been unable to create equal financial or commercial opportunities.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“Political actions of peoples seeking new alternatives of power have come up against those who are better organized politically and who thus will prevail, as they have always prevailed. Those who have now assumed power must be aware of their responsibilities towards those peoples. Eradicating tyranny, consolidating peace and making social benefits available to everyone are enormous challenges. The task is to build real democracies, and to build them with all of the contradictions, differences and difficulties that exist within a society. Even in our region we have received threats with a major ideological component. The attempted coup d’état in Ecuador and the breakdown of the democratic order in Paraguay have shown that Governments of change have been affected in the development of their policies.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“My country showed its firm commitment to those values and principles already at the Hague Conference of 1907, where it tried to introduce compulsory international arbitration, and also in 1921, when it became the first country to legally accept the compulsory jurisdiction of the Permanent Court of International Justice, under only the condition of reciprocity. The strenuous efforts of the international community to build a fair system and to achieve greater balance among countries and greater well-being for their societies have not yet achieved the necessary ethical and policy solutions. Recently we have seen what appears to be an era of change in some regions of the world. Peoples are seeking their freedom with the means they have at hand, with a legitimate desire to achieve democracy and greater well-being.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“It reiterates its desire for a peaceful, just, sustainable and mutually accepted solution of the question of Western Sahara, based on international law and resolutions of the General Assembly and Security Council and respectful of the human rights and the will of the Saharan people. An independent judicial system, to which all persons have access on the basis of the principle of equality before the law, is necessary for the genuine rule of law. Projecting this concept of the State and of the law beyond our borders is a vocation for peace and the peaceful settlement of disputes, of which my country was an early promoter.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“The principle of the self-determination of peoples — understood as a collective right that must be observed in a manner analogous to respect for freedom of the individual at the domestic level — is also an essential pillar of the rule of law. That freedom, which includes freedom of expression and other fundamental freedoms, is closely related to the effective operation of democratic institutions. In that respect, and without prejudice to reaffirming that any attempt at the partial or total disruption of the national unity or territorial integrity of a country is incompatible with the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations, Uruguay has always defended the right to self-determination of peoples as a key principle for the international coexistence of States.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“The principle of juridical equality of States, like equality among individual people, is one of the fundamental principles of our Organization, guaranteeing to all the same right to participate in the responsibilities of the international community, independent of the power possessed by each nation. It is precisely in respect of this principle that our country rejects any coercive unilateral or extraterritorial measure that contravenes the rules of international law and the principles of the Charter of the United Nations. The clearest contemporary example of such a measure is the embargo unfairly set against the Republic of Cuba.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“Respect for and promotion of the rule of law at the national and international levels are two sides of the same coin, which has the well-being of the individual as its raison d’étre. It means also that neither individuals nor States are above the law, but are subject to it. Uruguay considers rule of law a constitutive element of the social contract that sustains its democratic system and that stands out as a pillar of its foreign policy. It is important to stress that this was not motivated by foreign influence, nor did it come through the adoption of an abstract political model from outside. Rather, it was the result of a profound internal process of building and organizing the free coexistence of our people.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“On behalf of the Eastern Republic of Uruguay, I would like to congratulate my friend Ambassador Vuk Jeremić on his election to preside over the work of the General Assembly during its sixty-seventh session. His experience, competence and reliability will be crucial in ensuring that the most representative body of the United Nations effectively fulfils its duties. We assure him of the full support of Uruguay. The focus of the General Assembly this year on the promotion of the rule of law at national and international levels is extremely relevant, and I take this opportunity to welcome the declaration adopted by the General Assembly on Monday on that matter (resolution 67/1).”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“In that context, the elimination of subsidies and other non-tariff barriers that hinder access to markets is essential, as is a successful conclusion of the Doha Round based on a development perspective.”
2010-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 65 (2010)
“That goal is also a necessary precondition for reducing disparities between the developed world and the developing world, particularly in the quality of life, income distribution and human development indicators. In closing, Uruguay would like to reaffirm the imperative necessity of renewed political commitment aimed at achieving an open and equitable multilateral trade system based on clear rules that would permit all countries to benefit from the potential provided by international trade as the engine of development. 10-55396 8 Hunger eradication, food production and agricultural trade are closely related and must be strengthened through a predictable multilateral system that provides guarantees to producers and ensures food availability to the most vulnerable sectors.”
2010-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 65 (2010)
“In that context, the global phenomenon of climate change is perhaps the most urgent and dramatic challenge currently facing humanity. It poses additional challenges to development and forces us to urgently consider the need to implement measures to adapt to and mitigate its adverse effects. Such measures require changes in production methods and seriously compromise the distribution of domestic resources. Achieving sustainable development that takes into account the economic, social and environmental dimensions is fundamental to ensuring long-term results and a healthy environment for present and future generations as well as sustained economic growth.”
2010-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 65 (2010)
“In that regard, the role of the United Nations in international economic and financial governance is fundamental in terms of democratizing decision- making and ensuring equal participation in global decisions that affect us all and directly impact strategic planning in the short, medium and long term. Coordinated, transparent and harmonious decision- making is essential for achieving tangible results that improve the living conditions and situation of the world’s citizens. Our country deems it important to promote dialogue in order to foster bridge-building among the various decision-making forums. We must be aware that without a healthy natural environment, all other development efforts will have a limited effect.”
2010-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 65 (2010)
“Since its accession to the United Nations as a founding Member and despite having pursued a foreign policy inspired by the same purposes, principles and ideals enshrined in the United Nations Charter, Uruguay has occupied a seat in the Security Council only once, which was during the period 1965-1966. Presenting one’s candidacy to the body in which the international community has entrusted the current global collective security system constitutes the most demanding test of a State’s foreign policy. In the present context, which is profoundly marked by multiple global crises, it is imperative that we work jointly towards building long-term strategies and solutions that will lead us to more just and equitable societies.”
2010-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 65 (2010)
“Three years after the pilot programme was launched in Uruguay, we have recently completed the country evaluation and can affirm that the design, implementation, follow-up and evaluation of the process have contributed to the national Government’s efforts to strengthen the coordination among the various State bodies through a joint programming exercise, which made possible greater interaction between agencies, the Government and the United Nations system. Uruguay has formally expressed its aspiration to occupy a seat as a non-permanent member of the Security Council for the period 2016-2017. We are the only candidate country in the region at the present time.”
2010-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 65 (2010)
“The current international reality is such that that body needs to be more representative and democratic. We must therefore take steps to effect its expansion, while guarding against an extension of the historical obstacles that run contrary to the principle of the sovereign equality of States, such as the right of veto. A very clear example of Uruguay’s commitment to the United Nations reform process, which seeks to establish greater effectiveness and coordination within the system, is its direct participation in the “Delivering as One” programme.”
2010-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 65 (2010)
“Over the past two years, there has been an open process of restructuring the peacekeeping system, which was necessary given the new reality that we are facing. That process must be viewed as part of a larger project of reform of the Organization, which, through various initiatives, seeks to be more effective, to work in a more coordinated manner and to enjoy greater legitimacy. Uruguay reiterates its adherence to that process of reform of the United Nations. The process, begun during the 2005 Summit, which gave rise to the creation of two new structures within the Organization — the Human Rights Council and the Peacebuilding Commission — should be brought to completion through the consideration of various outstanding topics, including the reform of the Security Council.”
2010-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 65 (2010)
“In its role as coordinator of the Group of Friends of Haiti, Uruguay has for some years been advocating for a mandate that, without neglecting the urgent security needs, permits at the same time the establishment of the conditions necessary for strengthening the productive capacity of the country, which was seriously affected by the earthquake of 12 January 2010. In our view, greater emphasis should be placed on providing teachers, doctors, engineers, agronomists, experts in information technologies and volunteer workers, who could contribute effectively to solving the problems of the Haitian population. Investing in 7 10-55396 human resources in Haiti is of fundamental importance for the future development of the country.”
2010-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 65 (2010)
“That subject affects developing countries in particular, since it is they which provide the large majority of the troops and thus the viability of their participation in missions is at stake. The case of Haiti probably provides one of the best illustrations of the need for a cross-cutting political effort to lift a country out of a situation of crisis and institutional and social stagnation. Uruguay has never been indifferent to the challenges that this brotherly country has had to confront and continues to confront today. From 2004 to date, we have deployed more than 10,000 military personnel to the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti, who have faithfully carried out the mandate approved by the Security Council for the stabilization process in that country.”
2010-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 65 (2010)
“But we believe it is extremely important to promote a closer relationship between the Council and the General Assembly. The greater the distance between them, the more difficult it is for peacekeeping operations to achieve their objectives and for their complex mandates to be effectively implemented. In this respect, the existing gap between the complexity of the mandates and the resources available poses a challenge that we must confront every day. We are convinced that is of fundamental importance for us to ensure that adequate consideration is given to the allocation of the resources needed for the proper functioning of those operations. The conditions offered by the system also need to be updated, so that the United Nations has at its disposal the equipment and human resources that it needs.”
2010-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 65 (2010)
“Uruguay actively participates in the United Nations multilateral system of peacekeeping and maintenance of international security, as well as in efforts to defend human rights and uphold international humanitarian law through peacekeeping operations, based on our conviction that these are a solid testimony to the collective commitment of the international community as a whole. That commitment on the part of my country can be seen both on the ground, through our deployment of more than 2,500 Blue Helmets, deployed principally in Haiti and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and in its work on the political level here at Headquarters. We recognize that the Security Council holds the primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security.”
2010-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 65 (2010)
“It is our hope that, in 2012, a conference will be held, without further delay or conditions, in which all of the States of the Middle East will participate, with the aim of establishing a nuclear-weapon-free zone, free of all other weapons of mass destruction as well, through freely agreed arrangements between the States of the region, with the full support and commitment of those States that possess nuclear weapons. Similarly, Uruguay supports the Secretary-General’s five-point initiative for a world free of nuclear weapons.”
2010-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 65 (2010)