Secretary-General's remarks at joint press encounter with President Rafael Correa of Ecuador

Señoras y señores,

Buenos dias. Mucho gusto.

Since this is Valentine's Day, allow me to say: adoro Ecuador.

I just arrived in Ecuador but my visit has already been productive.

President Correa and I discussed a number of pressing issues that concern us both.

Earlier today, I also discussed many of these matters with Foreign Minister [Ricardo] Patiño.

I have come to Ecuador to show my support.

I know you are still recovering from the events of last September.

At the time, I expressed my support for Ecuador's democratic institutions and its elected government. I am here now to stand with the government and people of Ecuador.

I salute President Correa, who since taking office four years ago has brought stability to the country.

I trust that with dialogue, Ecuador will continue to strengthen its institutions, advance development and forge solidarity.

I commend President Correa for his advancement in reducing the inequality rate by more than 5%.

Ecuador's diversity is not only present in its natural resources, but also in its people. Approximately one quarter of Ecuador's population are indigenous peoples.

I welcome that Ecuador's new Constitution represents a positive development for the advancement of indigenous peoples' rights.

I am also aware that there are still some gaps in the implementation of the Constitution. I encourage further progress.

Throughout this process, it is critical that everyone respect Ecuador's vibrant diversity. And I hope that all differences will be resolved through dialogue.

This is not just my message for Ecuador. Respect for diversity and dialogue are essential for all countries and peoples. Leaders must speak with members of civil society, with the media and with each other.

This is how we foster understanding. This is how we move forward together.

Respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms are the basis for stability.

That is why I applaud Ecuador's engagement on human rights. Ecuador is a member of the United Nations Human Rights Council. You have ratified all core human rights treaties.

Ecuador's open invitation to UN human rights experts is a model for other countries to follow.

You are building on a proud history.

Ecuador was the first country in the world to ratify the Optional Protocol to the International Convention on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and, more recently, Ecuador was one of the first countries to ratify the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance.

In Ecuador, rights extend to nature. I applaud your Constitution for granting rights to the natural environment. This is also an example for other countries to follow.

This morning, I had the chance to express my appreciation for Ecuador's contribution to United Nations peacekeeping.

I hope we will see even more Ecuadorians serving with the United Nations ? especially women, who are so important to our mission for peace and security.

I also congratulate Ecuador on the Yasuni-ITT initiative.

This innovative concept to combat global warming strikes at the root of the problem by preventing the release of CO2 in the first place.

I look forward to seeing what more Ecuador will do to build on the climate change momentum generated by last year's conference in Cancun.

That effort is one of my main priorities. It is a key part of a broad global agenda being pursued by the United Nations.

We are deepening our work on global health and empowering women.

We are preventing conflicts where we can and promoting stability in hotspots.

We are striving to improve our response to humanitarian emergencies.

We are strengthening the UN to achieve all these goals. I am grateful for Ecuador's support, and I will leave here all the more determined to strengthen our partnership for peace, development and human rights.

Nos vemos pronto.

Muchas gracias. Thank you very much.

Q: Which are the topics that you consider that Ecuador should emphasize at the UN General Assembly?

SG: We have many global challenges. Starting from climate change, food security, energy security, water scarcity and global health. We hope that Ecuador actively participates together with Latin American countries and together with other Member States. And we need more support from Ecuadorian Government in our peacekeeping operations. And we'd like to see more women empowered in Ecuador. Protecting women from violence is a very important aspect in protecting and promoting human rights. In all these, first of all, I'd like to see in Ecuador through dialogue, through reconciliation, you can have very harmonious ethnic groups living together in harmony.

Q: What kind of efforts will be made among the members of the UN to make contributions to the Yasuni ITT initiative?

SG: This responsibility of having money, trust fund money, is now in the hands of the international community. We will continue to work with the key donor countries. And I'll ask our Resident Coordinator, Mr. Jose Manual Hermida, to work in this issue. I know that we still have to work a long way to get this needed money allowing the 3.6 billion dollars, and as I said, preserving this Yasuni National Park is very important. I will discuss with the Member States this matter.

Q: Would it be the initiative to provide contributing bureaus of the United Nations to the Yasuni ITT initiative, and would it be in first instance this proposal by the Ecuadorian government, and if it would be feasible within the UN system. Would you also mention the recognition given to Ecuador on the work with refugees?.

SG: Last December, the High Commissioner for Refugees, Antonio Guterres, visited your country as to discuss these refugee issues, and I know this is truly challenging for your government to have more than 56,000 refugees in the northern border, the common border, the United Nations Country Team, particularly led by UNHCR, will continue to address this issue. We are now 34 billion refugees worldwide. This is a true challenge requiring a lot of financial resources. We appreciate the Ecuadorian Government try looking to the well-being of this refugees, together with United Nations. I will discuss this matter with the High Commissioner for Refugees, on how we can provide effective systems, humanitarian systems. At the same time, we are very much concerned the human rights situation among the refugees on the common border. We look to the Ecuadorian Government to pay special attention on promoting and protecting human rights. I believe the first question on Yasuni was already answered.