Madam
and Mr. Co Presidents;
Mr.
Secretary General;
Ladies
and Gentlemen:
Mexico
attends this Summit confident that here, our United Nations, will undertake very serious
commitments to confront the challenges with which the new millennium is born.
Our
greatest challenge is to ensure that every woman and every can fully enjoy the fundamental
freedoms of the human being.
Freedom
to educate themselves. Freedom to feed themselves. Freedom
to safeguard their health. Freedom to work. Freedom to participate in economic exchanges.
Freedom to believe and to express their opinions. Freedom to get involved in public
affairs and in decision making.
For
these freedoms to be exercised not only by the most privileged, but by every single person
in every part of the world, we have the proposals contained in the Report of the Secretary
General and in the draft Millennium Declaration, which the Government of Mexico enthusiastically adheres to.
Mexico
is pleased that the Millennium Declaration ratifies the prevalence of basic principles
such as respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, sovereign equality of all
States and nonintervention in their domestic affairs.
Mexico
is convinced that the political independence of nations and self determination of peoples
shall be fully respected, even in this new era of economic, financial and information
globalization.
Mexico
agrees with the Secretary General that globalization offers great opportunities but its
benefits are at present unevenly distributed.
From
first hand experience, we Mexicans know that globalization not the problem.
In
fact, it is the reverse: globalization can be part of the solution, or, as expressed by
the Secretary General, it must become a positive force for the entire world population in
solving its real problems: poverty, marginalization and inequality.
Inequality, both among and within
nations, has deepened, for while some are participating in globalization, others are not,
or cannot.
In
some cases, they do not participate, due to lack of political and economic freedom; due to
the lack of democracy.
Others,
even enjoying democracy, cannot participate as the lack of education, health and
nutrition, prevents them from exercising their freedoms and from taking advantage of
globalization's potential.
Thus
the great importance of firmly committing ourselves to working hard to achieve the targets
contained in the declaration on education, health, employment and equality.
Mexico
supports these targets and subscribes to the idea of elaborating national and collective
action plans to attained them.
We
support them, confident that we Mexicans have the bases to fulfill our share in achieving
these targets.
We
support them convinced that sowing freedom, we will reap peace and justice, well-being and
harmony.
Each
country has a task of its own, unavoidable, to be carried out with its own effort, but we
all require the encouragement and cooperation of
the United Nations.
We
could not advance our purposes without an overall reform of the United Nations to make it
more democratic and representative, more efficient and useful for all, to attain greater
legitimacy and authority before the peoples of the world.
Only an Organization reformed for
democracy-and therefore strengthened-can contribute to other crucial endeavors, such as a
world free of nuclear weapons; a world free of drugs, terrorism and illicit trafficking in
small arms; a world capable of preventing and confronting natural disasters, and a world
where our children have the freedom to forge a just and sustainable development.
-----