Bolivia President Luis Arce Speech at United Nations General Assembly

New York, September 19, 2023

DISCURSO DEL PRESIDENTE LUIS ALBERTO ARCE CATACORA

Brother Vice-President of the United Nations General Assembly, Diego Pary Rodríguez, it is a joy and a source of pride for Bolivia to see you leading this General Assembly of the most important multilateral organization created by humanity and we are sure that together with President Dennis Francis and your leadership, you will put the name of your countries and of our Latin American and Caribbean region on a high level.

Distinguished Heads of State and Government, Ministers of Foreign Affairs,

Sisters and brothers of the delegations present, Good afternoon, everyone.

Brother Vice-President, a year ago, in this very forum, we denounced that the world was facing a capitalist crisis that was putting humanity and the very existence of the planet at risk; unfortunately, a year after that declaration, that delicate scenario has not changed. The capitalist system, in its eagerness to impose its decadent hegemony, replicates practices of colonial domination and exploitation that should have been overcome by now.

Unfortunately, many of the brilliant proposals that have emerged from the heart of this Assembly have been ignored, or simply omitted, due to interests serving the savage system of capitalist exploitation that prioritizes the production and reproduction of capital, rather than safeguarding the life of human beings and the existence of the planet.

It is evident that we are facing the precariousness of the economy due to the effects of the multiple armed conflicts that shake the world today, peace and security are at imminent risk due to the lack of will of the international community to propose solutions that privilege dialogue and put an end to the war efforts promoted by the transnational corporations of war.

Added to this are the serious effects of the ecological crisis on life systems in every corner of the world. According to experts, due to the prevailing system, 6 of the 9 planetary limits within which humanity and Mother Earth as a whole can continue to develop and prosper have been exceeded. It is worth noting that this tragic situation has worsened even more during the last decades of unipolarity and unilateralism, inaction and unfulfilled commitments.

The challenges ahead remain numerous and enormous, but today we are at the dawn of a new international configuration. We are convinced that we are witnessing the construction of a new World Order, a situation in which the United Nations Assembly, following the principles for which it was created, must play a major role. A new World Order in which we are all part, with equal rights and obligations, without impositions of any kind, without masters or slaves, without double standards to measure each other, without punishers or sanctioned, a New Order where solidarity, complementation and collaboration prevail over selfishness and pettiness. With the certainty that this better world is possible and necessary, from the Plurinational State of Bolivia we wish to share the following ideas and proposals:

1. We reiterate, as we did last year, our proposal that the world be declared a territory of peace. We must put an end, once and for all, to the arms race and prioritize sincere dialogue and diplomacy among peoples to resolve the armed conflicts that threaten the existence of humanity.

It is urgent that our nations unite in a collective effort, with diverse voices, especially those from regions far removed from the rhetoric of confrontation, yet suffering the repercussions of war in different dimensions.

We must give peace a chance, and in this task the United Nations has a fundamental role to play in reducing tensions and advancing in dialogues that will allow us to consolidate political and diplomatic solutions to the conflicts that are on the agenda of our organization.

In this regard, we reiterate our deep concern over the escalation of violence in the conflict in Eastern Europe, and the threat of several countries to aggravate the situation through a confrontation with the use of weapons of mass destruction, weapons that use depleted radioactive elements and non-conventional weapons, which are prohibited by international law through various binding international instruments.

We see with absolute concern that military spending in the world has reached historic figures, until April 2023, the world invested more than 2.24 trillion dollars in weapons and the war industry. If these resources were invested in peace, mediation, dialogue, development of peoples and life instead of destruction and death, we would not be on the brink of a crisis that aggravates inequalities in the world and, contrary to the objectives we set ourselves in this very scenario, deepens poverty on the planet.

The means and ways of waging war cannot be unlimited, a growing number of countries are seeking to use outer space to enhance their military capabilities in the interest of protecting their national security, further endangering the peace and security of our planet.

We deeply regret that the maintenance of peace and security has become an increasingly challenging goal.

Genuine peace can only be achieved through the effective implementation of the mechanisms provided for in the Charter of the United Nations and the complete elimination of all types of weapons.

Bolivia will always be committed to defend and strengthen multilateralism and to continue contributing to disarmament in compliance with International Law, International Humanitarian Law (IHL), from a vision focused on peace with social justice, the welfare of people and peaceful coexistence.

We reiterate our regional commitment to proclaim Latin America and the Caribbean as a Zone of Peace, based on the promotion and respect for the Purposes and Principles of the Charter of the United Nations and International Law, as we expressed in the framework of the VII Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC).

Similarly, at the CELAC-EU Summit held in Brussels last July, we expressed our desire for a Latin America, the Caribbean and Europe at peace. May their peoples achieve the peace that the capitalist model has not been able to offer them, abandoning practices that in past history have not satisfied an equitable and complementary relationship between our regions.

2. It is necessary to break as soon as possible the unjust international order that burdens our peoples and to sit down now, to debate in the framework of the United Nations, to build a new pact for the future.

In Bolivia we have begun to discuss the possibility of a New Deal for the Future, but to do so we must remember the past, resolve the present, and prepare for the future.

We are obliged to address the needs of present and future generations in an equitable manner. We cannot allow a child to starve to death today to ensure a snack for another child who has not yet been born. Eliminating poverty and inequalities today will prevent unimaginable economic and ecological distributional conflicts in the future.

To rebuild trust we need to abandon narrow interests and forge reciprocity. For example, by releasing all technology transfers that help save lives and restore Mother Earth.

To rekindle global solidarity we need to recognize each other and repair our relationships as humanity. For example, in the context of climate change, let us agree that each State should dedicate resources to the Damage and Loss Fund in proportion to its historical responsibility for greenhouse gases.

Action on the 2030 Agenda can be accelerated if we make peace and solidarity the engine of prosperity. Let us dare to transform the costs of war and death into investments for life. With these resources, we could far surpass the Sustainable Development Goals.

Likewise, we will only succeed in keeping Mother Earth within a safe operating space for humanity if sustainability with ecological and social justice becomes the only way forward. But we must achieve these goals in a fair and equitable manner, with all and for all, and without political or financial impositions.

3. It is necessary and urgent to change the capitalist system in times of neoliberalism, which multiplies and reproduces the forms of domination, exploitation and exclusion of the great majorities.

Sisters and brothers,

The multidimensional crisis of capitalism has been laid bare in the post-pandemic context and has been exacerbated by the effects of the military conflict in Eastern Europe. These are but expressions of the transition towards the configuration of a world order different from the one we currently have.

In response, as never before, the global South is rising up peacefully and constructively, through regional and interregional processes of cooperation and integration. Thus there is a growing clamor to reconfigure the international financial system and transform our understanding of what scientific development should be, respectful of Mother Earth and how to pursue it equitably, recognizing the respective historical responsibilities of our nations in all dimensions.

In the face of the irreversible march towards a multipolar world, the increasingly strong influence of new initiatives for economic integration, trade and cooperation among countries is undeniable. The emergence of trade blocs such as those in Asia, Africa, South America or the BRICS, which today allow nations to access international markets without the need to compromise their sovereignty.

In this context, despite an adverse international context, Bolivia has implemented the Economic and Social Development Plan 2021-2025 “Rebuilding the Economy to Live Well, Towards Industrialization with Import Substitution”, which lays the foundations to face the global economic crisis and develop public policies to strengthen the national economy and promote our development capabilities.

In this sense, the actions developed for the economic and reproductive reconstruction of our economy, exceeded 6% in 2021, and in the 2022 management reached 3.5%. In the year 2022, our nominal GDP will increase from $40.703 billion in 2021 to $44.315 billion in 2022, the highest figure in our history. Likewise, per capita GDP increased by 7.4% over the 2021 figure, the highest figure in our history, compared to the 2021 figure, reaching an amount of US$ 3,691, also the highest figure in the history of our country.

It is also worth mentioning that so far this year, accumulated inflation is only 1.6%, the lowest figure in our region and compared to many countries in the world.

This indicator was achieved without raising interest rates, without practicing neoliberal monetary policies and always taking care of the pockets of the poorest, which is where inflation hurts the most.

Our country’s achievements are mainly based on the civilizational horizon of Vivir Bien, which vindicates the culture of communal life in fullness, respecting the harmonious coexistence, balance and complementarity of human beings with the rest of nature on Mother Earth.

4. The climate crisis requires concrete actions and renewed commitments.

Bolivia has raised the recognition of Mother Earth in the General Assembly of the United Nations (UN), through the Resolution approved on April 22, 2009, as an effort for the international community to become aware of the importance of the restoration of natural processes for the survival of human beings, proposing an alternative anticolonial vision in the face of capitalism and mercantilism.

In this understanding, our vision of sustainable development has strong roots in our vision of Vivir Bien and harmony with nature. This vision stems from the millenary and ancestral thinking of the indigenous nations and peoples that constitute the basis of our plurinationality.

With respect to the needs regarding mitigation and adaptation to the climate crisis, and the growing losses and damages, it is important that all countries assume their responsibilities, in this framework, developed countries must assume their share of the climate debt and the compensation and historical reparations with developing countries. The first step for this is to fulfill outstanding commitments on the provision of finance, technology transfer and capacity building.

In this global issue, there is a common problem that is beginning to take its toll on the poorest countries: water scarcity and the increase in the rate of evaporation of freshwater. We urge our Assembly to pay permanent attention to this problem, which mainly affects the poorest of the five continents and which is already beginning to affect social sectors that are not within the conventional frameworks of poverty.

Sisters and brothers,

Bolivia highlights the fact that this year the Treaty on Marine Biodiversity in Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) has been concluded and adopted by consensus because it represents a significant step towards the protection of our oceans and the sustainable use of their resources, significantly benefiting developing countries, especially landlocked developing countries. This treaty will establish rules and regulations to prevent the sustainable exploitation of resources, which will protect the interests of landlocked countries and prevent the depletion of marine resources.

The BBNJ Treaty is a historic opportunity to make a difference in the protection of our oceans, because they constitute a common good of humanity. In this context, we highlight the special mention of Indigenous Peoples and Landlocked Developing Countries. Together, we can ensure that the oceans continue to be a source of life and prosperity for present and future generations in an equitable manner.

5. We must continue to push for a broader view of human rights and democracy.

Despite the progress that has been made, the world remains an unequal world. While it is true that peoples build their own destiny, it is also true that the good life of our peoples has been undermined for centuries by legal, economic and ideological colonialism.

You know better than I that it has not been possible to exercise the right to development as a matter of history. The systematic transfer of wealth from the South to the North has put us at a disadvantage to this day. We have had to sail through the gale of a crisis imposed only on the South. Since then, it is not the same to talk about economic, social and cultural human rights such as health, education, food, access to knowledge and technologies in one continent as in another, in the South as in the North.

In this context, it is not possible to plan without addressing historical responsibilities. Without assuming this, it is impossible to reach our full potential as peoples and make possible their right to development. In the Plurinational State of Bolivia, we have understood that no democracy is possible without development. And development cannot have a better indicator than the exercise of collective rights, promoted, protected and guaranteed by the state, but combined with a high level of democratic participation of the social collectives.

In Bolivia we have understood that economic stability also means a substantive change for food sovereignty, access to intercultural and multilingual education, and sexual and reproductive health of Bolivian women.

From our experience, I would like to emphasize that the active participation of Indigenous Peoples in State affairs is what has made our recent achievements possible, and therefore I call on this Assembly to continue to move forward in strengthening their rights and participation.

Another issue of special interest to my country is women’s rights. It is estimated that 736 million women in the world, that is, one out of every three women, have been subjected to physical and/or sexual violence. The violence suffered by women must cease to be a solitary and private experience, and be recognized as a public issue on which we must take urgent action.

Maternal mortality is another of the major problems we must face, since every day 800 women die of pregnancy-related causes. Sustainable development will not be possible if we do not give women the opportunity to live without fear of violence and to exercise their sexual and reproductive rights with access to universal health services.

6. Banish from the international system the implementation of sanctions and unilateral coercive measures.

Brother Vice President,

Another issue that I cannot fail to mention in this opportunity is related to the unilateral coercive measures and sanctions that are applied to brotherly peoples, attacking their development and the most elementary human rights. These measures are an example of a dysfunctional system far removed from international law and multilateralism.

A clear example of these measures is the illegal, inhumane and criminal economic and financial blockade imposed by the United States against Cuba. The restrictions imposed have hindered access to food, medicines and other basic goods, generating human suffering and impacting its economy and development. We call for compliance with the multiple resolutions adopted by this

We call for compliance with the many resolutions adopted by this General Assembly and for the construction of a more just and united world in which all countries can prosper regardless of their political differences.

Likewise, we reject and condemn the inclusion of Cuba as a promoter of terrorism in the unilateral lists of the United States, using this argument to impose more restrictive measures against the Cuban people. These measures are contrary to the Charter of the United Nations and the mandate of the Security Council, and therefore have no support or validity in the light of international law, and worse still, they seriously affect the right to development of the Cuban people.

7. Let us stop the outrage against the Palestinian people as soon as possible.

As for Israel’s occupation of Palestine, we cannot continue to allow the suffering of the Palestinian people. We reiterate our support for global and regional initiatives, international law and UN resolutions that seek to guarantee a solution, where the Palestinian people exercise their right to self-determination and build their own free, independent and sovereign state with the pre-1967 borders and with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Finally, sisters and brothers,

The current crisis demands a strong United Nations Organization, consistent with the principles that created it, committed to peace, maintaining its intergovernmental character but without subordination to any hegemonic power, be it economic, political or military. Because the solutions to the multiple challenges facing humanity will only become a reality with the genuine commitment and political will of all countries and their actors, prioritizing the common interest of humanity, of the peoples and of the most vulnerable sectors of humanity.

Thank you very much.