Como esta ceremonia muestra, las Naciones Unidas y el Salvador comparten un estrecho vínculo.

Permítanme citar las palabras del poeta Roque Dalton y referirme a ustedes, salvadoreños, como “mis compatriotas, mis hermanos”.

[As this ceremony illustrates, the United Nations and El Salvador share a lasting bond. Please allow me to draw from the words of the poet Roque Dalton and refer to you, Salvadorans, as “mis compatriotas, mis hermanos”.]

I am profoundly honoured to be the first United Nations Secretary-General to take part in this anniversary event.

It is deeply meaningful for the United Nations. And it is deeply moving for me personally, particularly at this time.

Look around the world. We see conflict. We see discord. We see bloodshed.

In many troublespots, people say: Our differences are too wide. The wounds are too deep. Peace is not possible.

To all of them, I say: Look to the people of El Salvador.

Peace is precious and peace is possible.

That is El Salvador’s message to the world. That is your gift to humanity.

Thank you El Salvador!

Together, we remember.

The war grinded on for over a decade. More than 75,000 Salvadorans were killed. More than a million people were displaced.

We celebrate the courage and wisdom of Salvadoran leaders and the Salvadoran people to choose the road of peace ….to overcome differences through dialogue ... to transform society through mutual respect and tolerance.

Your peace-making and peace-building experience also left a lasting imprint on the United Nations.

The United Nations Mission in El Salvador – ONUSAL -- blazed a trail where many UN operations followed.

ONUSAL was the first UN mission to stress post-conflict peace-building and the need to strengthen the pillars of peace to avoid a relapse to fighting.

The peace agreement placed human rights at the centre of every institutional framework, every policy and every programme.

Human rights monitors were sent to El Salvador before a cease-fire had been secured to help defuse tensions and hasten peace.

A Truth Commission helped redress the legacy of abuse.

In these and other ways, the peace process pioneered a new generation of peace operations and profoundly shaped how the United Nations faces global challenges to this very day.

ONUSAL became a standard for successful peacekeeping, not only because we learned many important lessons, but because it was so formative for many UN officials who went on to lead operations elsewhere.

For all these reasons, your efforts have helped advance peace in virtually every corner of the world.

This, too, is your legacy. This, too, we celebrate today.

The Accords remind us that peace is a process – it must be built every day.

El Salvador faces daunting challenges today. Citizen insecurity, social exclusion and lack of opportunities prevent many Salvadorans from reaping the full dividends of peace.

Every four hours, one woman or girl is a victim of sexual violence. Forty per cent of murders target children and youth.

My message to all Salvadorans is to work together to keep the spirit of the Peace Accords alive.

Keep it alive by deepening reconciliation and dialogue within Salvadoran society – including through the vital work of the National Council on Citizen Security and Coexistence.

Keep it alive by fully upholding international human rights obligations.

Keep it alive by intensifying efforts to safeguard the rights of victims, building on the 2010 official apology.

To consolidate peace, structural challenges such as inequality and exclusion must be addressed.

To ensure social cohesion, all communities must be part of the conversation.

No one can be left behind.

El Salvador will be greatly strengthened through inclusive and accountable institutions and mechanisms that bring in the voices of vulnerable groups – including indigenous peoples, the LGBT community, women and young people.

Last month, I went to Lima, Peru and had the pleasure of meeting former Secretary-General of the United Nations Javier Perez de Cuellar.

Secretary-General Perez de Cuellar worked until the last minute of his last day in office – and beyond -- to help secure peace for El Salvador.

He said that peace must be a “victory with no losers.”
Many years later he wrote that he “gave very high priority to El Salvador, where it seemed … a newfound potential of the United Nations was being severely tested.”
Over the last twenty-three years, thanks to your courage and determination, that potential for sustainable peace has been deepened here in El Salvador and far beyond.

We continue to grapple with age-old challenges – balancing tensions between peace and justice… between the interests of those with power and the population at large … between short-term urgency and long-term sustainability.

But we are making progress thanks to your lessons and your example.

Your leaders continue to inspire us to this day. Many years ago, Monsignor Oscar Romero defined the meaning and practice of peace.

“Peace,” he said, “is not the product of terror or fear (or)… the silence of cemeteries…Peace is the generous, tranquil contribution of all, to the good of all…It is right and it is duty.”

From here, let us pledge to continue that righteous journey until we reach our destination: a future of peace for all the people of El Salvador, the region and our world.

Muchas gracias.