Mr. President,
 
Mr. Secretary-General of the United Nations,
 
Honored delegates,
 
Ladies and gentlemen:
 
First of all, permit me to express my congratulations for your election as President of the Fifty-fifth General Assembly, the first of the new millennium. I wish you every
success in your presidency and promise Chile's full support as you exercise the duties of your office. I would also like to express our admiration and affection for the country
you represent, Finland. Our appreciation also goes to the praiseworthy efforts carried out by Chancellor Gurirab of Namibia during the period which has just come to an end.
 
In addition, we would like to congratulate the Secretary-General for the leadership he has demonstrated since taking office. We recognize and value his innovative vision of
the United Nations' role in the twenty-first century, and we encourage him to continue his efforts to reform this organization.
 
The challenges of globalization
 
Without a doubt, the name appropriate to our era is that of globalization. We recognize that the question of whether or not to participate in globalization is no longer relevant
today. Isolation is not a realistic option. Chile views globalization as a source of opportunities, one which has brought us significant benefits. Through the opening of our
economy, we have been able to double the size of our gross domestic product within ten years, compared to the fifty years required for the previous duplication.
 
Globalization generates opportunities, but it can also deepen the inequities which have always characterized the international system. The United Nations must strive to ensure
that globalization is not an exclusive phenomenon, with the benefits of modernity limited to a lucky few. We must make a firm commitment to developing new forms of
international cooperation, focused especially on broadening access to the knowledge-based economy.
 
The flows of goods, services, capital, information and technology characteristic of globalization tend to bypass domestic regulations and the control of governments. This
lack of regulation is not counterbalanced by other standards or authorities. We must fill this vacuum.
 
As never before in the history of humanity, the solution of the daily problems faced by people all over the world depends on collective international decision-making. The
challenge confronting the United Nations today is to lend a certain degree of order to globalization. To establish effective institutions and rules, so that globalization will serve
to advance the development of our peoples. To ensure that the fruits of scientific and technological advancement are employed to improve the lives of all human beings.
 
At the Rio Group's most recent Summit of Heads of State and Government, in Cartagena, Colombia, the countries making up this regional political coordination body prepared
a joint contribution for the Millennium Summit, reaffirming the United Nations' central role in this new era being embarked upon by humanity.
 
Peace and security
 
The past year has offered a balance of hope and concern with regard to peace and security.
 
Chile followed the historical conversations between the leaders of North and South Korea from June 13 to 15 of this year with great interest. We congratulate the leaders and
people of both countries for the progress made at this groundbreaking summit.
 
The conflict-in the Middle East has entered what seems to be a decisive stage. We are heartened by the advances achieved this year and encourage the parties to continue
their negotiations in accordance with the established timetables and the Security Council's resolutions on the subject. We are confident that Israel and the Palestinian National
Authority will discover satisfactory solutions to the remaining issues, particularly those related to Jerusalem. We are also encouraged by Israel's withdrawal from southern
Lebanon.
 
We support the Security Council's agreements establishing a massive humanitarian program for Iraq, under the "oil for food" formula, and we favor the ongoing evaluation of
this program. We hope that the Iraqi government will cooperate effectively with the new inspection agency, UNMOVIC.
 
We have also paid close attention to the news reaching us from the Balkans. The seeds of intolerance and ethnic cleansing are still present in the region. Chile views the
possibility of a new Balkan conflict with horror, and calls upon all sides to resolve their differences peacefully, with full respect for democracy and the human rights of
the peoples involved.
 
We are concerned by the conflicts taking place in Africa. We view the significant mediating role played by regional entities such as the Southern African
Development Community (SADC) and the Organization for African Unity, especially in the Ethiopia-Eritrea dispute, with hope. We have faith that these efforts,
alongside those of the United Nations, can bring peace to this vast continent, allowing it to develop its enormous potential.
 
We are pleased to note that the Security Council has directly addressed the scourge of HIV/AIDS in Africa, designating it as an international security issue requiring
rapid action. We hope that initiatives will be adopted to effectively combat this problem, which casts an even greater shadow over the future of the continent than the
current armed conflicts.
 
We view the difficulties surrounding the upcoming referendum in the Western Sahara with concern. Chile supports a free and secret and ballot, on the basis of
adequate voter information, as soon as possible. We are disturbed by the obstacles that hinder this undertaking.
 
Although the post-Cold War hopes for a world free of nuclear weapons in the near future have been tempered, this goal continues to be a valid one, as addressed
by the Non-Proliferation Treaty. I have the honor to report than on July 12 of this year, Chile deposited its instrument ratifying the Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban
Treaty, becoming the sixteenth country to do so. We call upon all nations to ratify this treaty rapidly, in order to reach the 44 countries necessary for its entry into
force.
 
In this information society we live in, problems experienced by any country on earth affect the world community as a whole. No State can evade the responsibility to
promote peaceful coexistence within and among nations. From the ethical standpoint of our common humanity, we have viewed the development of the concept of
humanitarian intervention with interest. Chile continues to adhere to the principles of non-intervention and the self-determination of peoples. Yet these principles must
be linked to other principles of equal or higher priority, which have emerged prominently since the end of the Cold War. We cannot remain impassive in the face of
the humanitarian catastrophes caused by great conflicts. Thus, we propose that in specific cases, and in accordance with the U.N. Charter, concerted actions should
be undertaken on a multilateral plane to provide rapid assistance to those who are suffering. Chile is also an enthusiastic participant in the Human Security Network,
in response to an initiative put forward by Canada and Norway.
 
Chile has considered it an ethical and political imperative of the greatest urgency to expand its participation in the United Nations peacekeeping forces. Since 1999,
we have developed an internal legal framework in closer harmony with the international requirements for participation in these operations. These domestic legal
modifications have allowed us to participate in UNTAET, in East Timor, since February of this year.
 
My country is also willing to discuss a new payment scale for the financing of U.N. peacekeeping operations. We believe that this scale must be adjusted to reflect
the current financial situations of member States.
 
We cannot fail here to mention the process of reforming the Security Council. While some progress has been seen in discussions of operating methods and the
transparency required by this body, we note that there have been few, if any, advances toward the expansion of its membership. Chile follows this subject with
interest, but like others, it has experienced a certain dismay and fatigue at the lack of progress resulting from positions that appear irreconcilable. The issue of the
veto further complicates this sensitive subject. Until the limitation of the veto is seriously addressed, with a view toward its ultimate abolishment, we doubt that the
discussions undertaken by the General Assembly's open group will bear fruit.
 
United Nations for the people
 
Globalization is not restricted to the economic sphere. It also involves the universalization of values and principles related to our common humanity and the
strengthening of individual rights, which have increasingly become the subjects of international law.
 
The absence of democracy and effective government, and the people's lack of voice and participation in public affairs in member countries of this organization is a
concern for us all. The United Nations exists for the people, not for those who hold the reins of government. Under the imperative of putting people at the center of
all our efforts, we must support and promote human rights and democratic processes.
 
Chile was among the countries which convoked the conference "Toward a Community of Democracies," held in Warsaw, Poland, this past June. More than 100
U.N. member nations participated in this gathering and subscribed to its final declaration. We are sure that as time passes, the Community of Democracies will serve
as an increasingly potent moral force within the United Nations, provided that it maintains its high standards and requirements.
 
Democracy is based on justice, both national and universal. Chile enthusiastically supports the establishment of an International Criminal Court and hopes that all
countries will adhere to its provisions. Establishing a permanent body to exercise jurisdiction over those accused of certain crimes will discourage jurisdictional
conflicts among countries as well as the irregular domestic proceedings which have allowed these individuals to act with impunity.
 
At the United Nations Summit for Social Development, held in Copenhagen in 1995, the Heads of State and Government, for the first time in our organization's
history, met to declare with force and clarity that our societies' chief responsibility is to improve the quality of life for our populations, and particularly their most
marginalized and dispossessed members. This year, in a special session, the Assembly reviewed the progress made in fulfilling the Summit's commitments and
launched new initiatives in support of its goals. This represents an important step in the quest to humanize the globalization process. We must continue to incorporate
the Social Summit's objectives into our national and multilateral policies.
 
In the social sphere, our organization has recognized the vital need to promote gender equality. Chile has worked together with our regional neighbors in Latin
America and the Caribbean to reaffirm the principles and proposals of the Summit on Women and Development. We have renewed our commitment to women's
progress and developed a new plan to equalize opportunities among men and women. A concrete demonstration of the latter is seen in the fact that approximately
one-third of President Lagos' Cabinet members are women.
 
At the same time, we reiterate Chile's strong support for the preparations for the General Assembly's 2001 special follow-up session on the World Summit for
Children. We also attribute special significance to the U.N.'s concern for the rights and welfare of indigenous populations and the elderly.
 
Chile has volunteered to host the Regional Preparatory Meeting for the World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related
Intolerance. We aim to contribute to the regional consensus in this area, sealing our very firm commitment to tolerance and respect for diversity.
 
 
Environmental protection is an issue that crosses national borders and has become a global concern, driven in part by an emerging international civil society. International
cooperation in this area, under the auspices of the United Nations, continues to be an urgent necessity. The Rio Conference on Environment and Development laid the
foundations for numerous agreements on climate change, forest conservation and biodiversity. Fulfilling and gradually expanding these commitments, with new agreements
and protocols ensuring the management, protection and conservation of our planet's resources, is of great importance. This conference, as well as the Rio + 10 event which
will take place in 2002, must continue to spur commitment to a new ethic of environmental conservation.
 
The need for new economic institutions
 
We are witnessing a globalization of the financial markets, whose behavior affects the movement of capital, currencies and credit, as well as the economies of all of our
nations. As recent experience demonstrates, a financial crisis in one comer of the world can rapidly trigger a domino effect, spreading the crisis even to faraway nations with
no responsibility for or control over the causes of the original disturbance. It is a great injustice that countries which have been prudent and responsible in the management of
their domestic economies can find themselves affected by problems completely outside their sphere of influence. Thus we must urgently find ways to impose order and
standards of good management on the international world. This does not mean obstructing international flows of capital, but establishing an appropriate international
framework to address the problems they may cause.
 
Chile has enthusiastically supported the international community's progress toward free trade through deregulation and the elimination of protectionist measures and barriers.
The failure of the 1999 Seattle Conference was an unfortunate setback. Let us be frank: this failure was not brought about by civil society's demonstrations, but by the lack of
agreement among the world's leading commercial powers. Chile continues to believe in the urgent necessity of initiating a new round of multilateral trade negotiations.
 
The United Nations must play a key role in bringing about substantive improvements in the management of commercial, monetary and financial systems, so that their
operations will take into account the needs of all countries. The Economic and Social Council's work in coordinating U.N. activities with those of the Bretton Woods
institutions has been praiseworthy. However, the General Assembly also has a critical role to play in this area.
 

The decision to hold a High-Level International Consultation on Financing for Development in 2001 is one of groundbreaking significance, and we must resolve to carry
forward the commitments expressed at the Millennium Summit to ensure the success of this event. This achievement will lead to a new phase in North-South relations, since
the political legitimacy arising from a broad multilateral consensus will allow us to design a new financial architecture and a system of international trade and exchange in
which all of the world's peoples see their legitimate interests reflected.
 
My country believes that Official Development Assistance is still necessary to promote the development of many countries and regions. The globalized world cannot neglect
the principle of solidarity, an idea so central to the United Nations' tradition. In the same spirit, international assistance must be provided to relieve the distressing conditions of
many countries burdened with unsustainable debt, so that they can move forward and confront the challenges of development.
 
Mr. President:
 
This year, Chile began a new six-year political term, under fully democratic conditions. Our country is in complete harmony with the international community. We possess a
vibrant civil society, which made its own contributions to our preparations for the Millennium Summit. Human rights and the rule of law are respected in Chile. Our courts
impart justice with rigor and a sense of responsibility. We enjoy a vigorous and open economy, and we have resolved to continue reducing inequalities in our country. We
reach out to the world from a firm foundation in our own region, Latin America. We are strengthening our multilateral policies, based on open regionalism and cooperation
with countries with similar criteria throughout the world.
 
We are confident that this United Nations General Assembly dedicated to the Millennium will be recorded as the one in which we began to address the great challenge of our
time: to lend order to globalization, in all of its dimensions, and to promote the extension of its benefits to an ever-increasing number of the inhabitants of our planet. Chile's
delegation will lend its full support to the fulfillment of this challenge.
 
Thank you very much.