Regional Interactive Dialogue of Latin American and Caribbean countries

– As delivered –

Statement by H.E. Mrs. María Fernanda Espinosa Garcés, President of the 73^rd Session of the UN General Assembly

29 November 2018

Mr. Jorge Chediek, Envoy of the Secretary General for South-South Cooperation and Director of the Office of the United Nations for South-South Cooperation

Ambassador Anayansi Rodríguez, Permanent Representative of Cuba in the United Nations,

Ambassador Hany Selim, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs of Egypt,

Mrs. Ana Ciuti, Director General of International Cooperation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Worship of Argentina,

Mr. Raul García Buchaca, Deputy Executive Secretary of ECLAC,

Excellencies, Distinguished participants,

It is an honor to participate in this event as President of the General Assembly and especially as a Latin American and Caribbean woman. The topic of south-south cooperation is vital for the 2030 Agenda.

I thank ECLAC for organizing this interactive dialogue.

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the generosity of the Government of Argentina for hosting the Second High-level United Nations Conference on South-South Cooperation. We are preparing for that evaluation event, forty years after the First Conference.

Excellencies,

South-south cooperation is a topic to which our region has significantly contributed.

In fact, Latin America and the Caribbean countries have developed a few of the most dynamic experiences in this area.

Exchanging knowledge and good practices in areas such as health, education, gender equality, climate change, food security, infrastructure, commerce, finance and investments has created and strengthened technical capabilities in the institutions of our countries and have brought our countries, societies and peoples closer together.

Furthermore, south-south cooperation has strengthened our intraregional relations and our various mechanisms of regional integration, all of which we must revitalize.

We need to accelerate the expansion of regional infrastructure, the building of equal South-South trading relationships and greater regional policy coordination that are aimed at sustainable development.

Dear colleagues,

I will talk about three specific issues:

First, like I mentioned in the Global Expo, south-south cooperation must adapt to the new scenarios and challenges for development.

In 1978, when we approved the Buenos Aires Plan of Action, the world was different.

40 years after the First Conference, which was a turning point in Global South relations, our efforts must be oriented towards the new realities and challenges posed by the ambitious and transformative 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

We must fulfill that task with a clear view: south-south cooperation must not lose the essential elements that have made it a veritable example of association for development: horizontality, seeking mutual benefits, complementarity and solidarity. These principles must encourage south-south cooperation.

And, of course, a fundamental element: south-south cooperation complements north-south cooperation but it does not substitute it.

The next Conference in March will be an ideal opportunity to evaluate the path travelled in these four decades, identifying achievements and things that have not worked out. This activity is necessary and we must undertake it in a constructive way.

However, very specifically, this will be the perfect opportunity to have a glimpse of the challenges and the opportunities posed by the 2030 Agenda and the premise of “leaving no one behind.”

I have had the pleasure of appointing the Permanent Representatives of Lithuania and Uganda as co-facilitators for the negotiations of the document that will be adopted in March, 2019, in Argentina. Last Tuesday I met with them to express my full support and to establish a roadmap for the process. I trust that they will have the full support and collaboration of your delegations.

Second, the priorities of the region.

Eradicating poverty and reducing inequalities are two critical issues in our region. It could be important to prioritize them in the context of south-south cooperation and triangular cooperation for the future.

In Latin America and the Caribbean, according to ECLAC, by 2017, more than 187 million people live in poverty and another 62 million live in extreme poverty.

Early this month, FAO alerted us about how hunger had increased in our region, for three years in a row, and how it now amounts to 39,3 million people undernourished, which is 6,1% of its population.

The wealthiest 10% of Latin America and the Caribbean concentrates, in average, almost 38% of all income, while the poorest 10% only 1,3%.

This data is clearly alarming and forces us to take action.

If we do not manage to tackle the root and structural causes that continue to perpetuate poverty, the effects of hunger and inequality could be devastating, both politically and socially.

Gender equality and the empowerment of women are also crucial. Continuing to deny rights and equality to half of the population is simply unsustainable and it is in direct opposition to the 2030 Agenda.

It is absolutely vital to eradicate the patriarchal culture of tolerance to gender abuse and violence and of undervaluing our actual, significant contributions to society and development.

Wage gaps between women and men must be overcome if we want to build egalitarian and fair societies.

Another crucial element is decent work. The Governments of the countries in Latin American and the Caribbean who have a large young population must be prepared for the changes that are being experienced by the labor world and employment opportunities. I invite you to pay more attention to the future of work, but also to the works of the future.

This leads us into a fundamental topic: innovation, technologies and the education needed to make the most of them are three matters that are indispensable.

The region could be also interested in a new development strategy in which the gaps of the current international financial architecture can be closed, in critical areas such as macroeconomic volatility and external shocks.

In Buenos Aires, we must set out these and other priorities and make an assessment of what these forty years of south-south cooperation have meant in our region regarding public policies, technologies, health systems, tax issues and other aspects of the 2030 Agenda.

Third,the role of the United Nations as a double challenge.

The first challenge is playing the role of facilitators to develop policies, procedures and structures that allow promoting and coordinating South-South Cooperation activities.

On the other hand, becoming an institution for dialogue so developed countries can also contribute with resources and knowledge to this modality of cooperation, without neglecting their historical commitments to Official Development Assistance.

Due to its universal nature, the United Nations is also an exceptional place to promote South-South cooperation as an important Alliance model for development.

Global South countries, and our region in particular, must make the most of this space, seize its potential.

In this sense, I wish to underline the great work of ECLAC. Our Committee is a clear example of how the United Nations can really contribute to our efforts.

South-south cooperation in Latin America and the Caribbean has not only had tangible results in the processes of technological restructuring, agriculture, education and commerce, it has also reinforced the bonds for integration and has strengthened multilateralism.

In fact, south-south cooperation significantly contributes to the fulfillment of one of the purposes established in Article One of the Charter of the United Nations: “To achieve international cooperation in solving international problems of an economic, social, cultural, or humanitarian character.” We must always remember the importance of our Charter.

Excellencies,

Our Uruguayan writer, Eduardo Galeano, said: solidarity is different from charity, because solidarity is horizontal, it is practiced from equal to equal and it implies mutual respect.

Indeed, solidarity is what makes south-south cooperation so significant and so powerful at the same time.

Defending the interests of the peoples of Latin America and the Caribbean effectively demands a united participation of the Governments of the region, in the Conference of Buenos Aires.

Undoubtedly, this will be the best way to convey our shared vision of the future for our region: a Latin America and Caribbean that is vibrant, creative, sustainable and less unequal.

Thank you.