Mr. Chairman,
The strict adherence to the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter is an unavoidable duty for all States committed to international peace and security.
War and armed conflicts have only caused humanity serious suffering and setbacks in their economic and social development; therefore conflict prevention has always been a common goal of the international community. For this reason, the United Nations Charter, in its Preamble, urges to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, to practice tolerance and live together in peace, as good neighbors, and its main purpose is precisely the maintenance of international peace and security, a precept that over the years has become a fundamental premise for the development of friendly relations and cooperation among all peoples and nations.
Many conflicts occurred since the creation of the United Nations, more than 70 years ago, could have been prevented if the causes that generated them had not been recurrently linked to domination interests. Sustainable peace implies the elimination of the threats that conspire against its full realization and the eradication of any infringement of the Charter, such as interference in the internal affairs of States, acts of aggression and wars that seek control of natural resources, including unconventional wars, which in recent years have become the most serious attacks against the exercise of self-determination of peoples.
The stable and durable peace that allows the prevention of conflicts presupposes, above all, the recognition of and the unrestricted respect for the sovereign equality of States, the peaceful settlement of international disputes, the respect for political independence and for the political, economic, social and cultural system that the nations have freely decided for themselves and the rejection of the threat or use of force against another State.
Mr. Chairman,
We will not be able to achieve a sustainable, complete, stable and lasting peace as long as some countries impose unilateral coercive measures on others, an unjust and exclusive international economic order exists, inequality and selfishness resulting from neoliberal globalization proliferate, discrimination, xenophobia and aggressiveness in the doctrines of military alliances increase.
Although it is true that sustainable development cannot be achieved without peace and stability, it is equally true that there will be no peace and stability without development. Peace cannot be achieved as long as millions of people remain condemned to hunger, poverty, discrimination, exclusion and despair. Hence, we affirm that conflict prevention and peace preservation require solidarity, cooperation and international assistance, as well as joint action to eradicate these scourges and their underlying causes.
Mr. Chairman,
We recognize that the Security Council plays a significant role in the maintenance of international peace and security by virtue of the responsibility conferred by the Charter, and therefore the members of this body must also be the first to promote peaceful solutions and exercise strong, effective and clear resistance against the recourse to war and against the violation of the principles and purposes established in the Charter.
The manipulated exercise and double standards on issues such as terrorism and human rights, aiming at singularizing developing countries and discrediting their legitimate governments, do not contribute to the ideal of peace, nor do colonialism, foreign occupation, and transgression of the right to self-determination and independence.
We note with concern the increase in phenomena such as the threat and use of force, the promotion of covert agendas for regime change in developing countries, the production of new and more sophisticated weapons, the persistence of large nuclear arsenals, the violation of the principles of international Law by some States, the intolerance and discrimination on the grounds of ethnic origin or religion as well as unilateral coercive measures. All these phenomena undermine the real possibilities of advancing peace and preventing conflicts.
Mr. Chairman,
We agree that conflict prevention, the achievement of sustained peace and the maintenance of international security are nowadays, undoubtedly, one of the greatest challenges for the international community.
Improving the ability of the United Nations to prevent and resolve disputes is more effective than dealing with the costly economic and social consequences and the incalculable human suffering of wars and armed conflicts. In recognizing the interrelationship between economic and social development and international peace and security, we consider it is important to ensure that any effort to transform the United Nations into a more effective instrument for preventing conflict and maintaining peace must take into account the need for a balanced, coherent and comprehensive approach, under its Charter and the international law.
The countries of our Latin American and Caribbean region clearly understood the need for Peace, which was consolidated at the Second Summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), held in Havana in January 2014, when Heads of State and Government signed the proclamation of Latin America and the Caribbean as a Zone of Peace, a document of historical significance that has full force also for the region's relations with other countries of the world and establishes our commitment to peace.
Thank you very much.