Ecuador
President Guillermo Lasso addressed the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York on Tuesday in his first speech at the UN, after his electoral victory in April. Lasso said that Ecuador is moving in a “markedly different” direction from the last 14 years, saying that he will not rely on the “incendiary” rhetoric about asymmetries of power and empires employed by his predecessors. The Ecuadorian leader said that instead of dividing the world into blocs, he would look to harness the spirit of unity with which the UN was originally established in a “new era” of Ecuadorian diplomacy. He proclaimed that one of the slogans of his government is: “More Ecuador in the world, and more of the world in Ecuador.”
Lasso hailed the progress made in terms of COVID-19 vaccines under his leadership after the mismanagement of the pandemic under his predecessor, Lenin Moreno, whom he blamed for “isolationist policies propped up by a twisted and small-minded concept of sovereignty.” Lasso said that this success has been facilitated by global diplomacy and cooperation, and has resulted in 52% of the population getting vaccinated and 81% of adults. In comparison, he said that when he entered office, only 3% of citizens were fully vaccinated. He noted that 62% of the vaccines received since he came into office came from China, but noted that Ecuador has also received two million doses from the United States (US), whom he described as “our main trading partner.” The leader then announced that his government is in talks with Russia to locally produce the Sputnik V vaccine.
Next, the president said his government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the UN to tackle corruption. He then asserted that Ecuador is the first Latin American country and the fourth in the world to “place our ecological transition under the responsibility of a ministry,” saying that reducing the country’s carbon footprint is one of his priorities.
Subsequently, Lasso said that Ecuador will continue to be at the forefront of international humanitarian assistance and lamented that refugees are no longer seeking “greener pastures” but merely “survival.” To this end, he said that Ecuador has regularised the status of over 430,000 Venezuelan migrants, allowing them to access labour and social services, and called on all countries to facilitate the integration of migrants.
Furthermore, the Ecuadorian president noted that his administration is committed to bringing an end to “all types of sexual discrimination,” with a particular focus on gender-based violence. At the same time, Lasso said his government is also working to reduce poverty and eliminate child malnutrition.
Argentina
President Alberto Fernández began his speech by saying that the world is currently “grappling with a triple pandemic” of global inequity, climate change, and COVID-19. He called for vaccine equity and for the COVID-19 vaccine to be made a global public good; he thus voiced his support for a motion in the World Trade Organization for a waiver on patents on the vaccine and related products.
Fernández also underscored Argentina’s commitment to the Paris Climate Accords with regards to transitioning to renewable energy, adopting clean technologies to reduce methane emissions, and tackling illegal deforestation. He said that his government is committed to limiting global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius and reaching carbon neutrality by 2050.
Nevertheless, he said that this is only possible if developing countries are financially empowered to make such changes, and once again called for the creation of a $100 billion global fund in this respect. He also called for the servicing and restructuring of the unsustainable debt of low- and middle-income countries, pointing to how Argentina has a debt of $57 billion with the IMF. He said the payment terms must be extended and interest rates must be lowered and must also account for spending on climate action so as to incentivise such policies.
The Argentine leader then said the UN must renew and strengthen its focus on addressing human rights violations, such as genocide, gender-based violence, and forced disappearances. He also spoke about the “scourge of terrorism” and the need to respect international law, calling on Iran and the international community to assist in continued investigations into the 1994 bombing of the Argentine Israelite Mutual Association in Buenos Aires by Hezbollah and Iranian actors; the attack killed 86 people and injured over 300. Furthermore, he touched upon the need for global food security.
Lastly, Fernández reiterated Argentina’s claim of sovereignty over the Malvinas, South Georgia, and the South Sandwich Islands, which he said have been “illegally occupied” by the UK for over 180 years. He urged the UK to abandon its colonial mindset and return to the negotiation table, avoid the “unilateral exploitation” of resources in the region, and withdraw its excessive military presence in and around the islands.
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Costa Rica
President Carlos Alvarado Quesada began his speech by decrying vaccine inequity, pointing to how only around 20% of people in poorer countries have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, compared to almost 80% in richer countries. To this end, he said that the World Health Organization (WHO)-led COVAX initiative has not achieved its purpose, and then called on developed countries, particularly the G20, to help make the vaccine a global public good, particularly in light of the emergence of new and deadly variants.
He also spoke about the universality of natural disasters seen around the world, which he noted are growing in frequency. Keeping this in mind, he called on global allies to curb the rise of global temperatures, lamenting how countries with the lowest carbon emission rates, like Costa Rica, are the “most affected by climate emergencies.” Quesada said that this has put a significant “financial strain” on developing countries to deal with concerns like forced migration and reconstruction.
Quesada asked why countries were not prioritising climate action, pointing to how military spending actually increased in 2020, arguing that countries have misplaced priorities. He said that developing countries are now also dealing with the parallel crises of poverty, reduced tax collection, economic decline, unemployment, and increasing expenses on economic support packages.
The Costa Rican leader welcomed the announcement of $650 billion in special drawing rights by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) but said that it isn’t enough because over 40% of that amount is allocated to rich countries. He thus announced the establishment of the FACE initiative with the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean to create a fund of around $500 billion that will be managed by multinational development banks who will provide 40-year loans at low and fixed rates to countries with “economic limitations.”
Next, Quesada said that Costa Rica plans to ‘decarbonise’ its economy by 2050 and urged international allies to place more attention on protecting, preserving, and restoring the world’s resources and its oceans. He said that Costa Rica is working with France and the United Kingdom (UK) to protect 30% of marine and terrestrial ecosystems and limit the global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius. He also presented the Beyond Oil & Gas Alliance with Denmark, saying that Costa Rica is bringing an end to oil exploration.
In addition, Quesada called for more countries to join the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, which has 55 ratifications and 86 signatories, and for a nuclear-free Korean peninsula.
The Costa Rican leader then expressed concern about the human rights situation in Nicaragua and Afghanistan. He also voiced his support for Argentina’s claim of sovereignty over the Malvinas, which the UK claims as its own and calls the Falkland Islands.
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Peru
President Pedro Castillo made his first appearance at the UN after he was formally declared the victor of Peru’s presidential election back in July. He vowed to address inequality through a social transformation that prioritises the redistribution of income, human rights and freedoms, civil and pollical rights, gender equality, healthcare, education, social security, and access to housing in an environmentally sustainable manner. He said that these are fundamental rights that must be universalised and cannot be looked at with a profit motive.
Like his Latin American counterparts, Castillo also called for vaccine equity. Furthermore, he announced that Peru seeks to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 30-40% by 2030.