🇵🇾Santiago Peña PalaciosParaguay · UNGA 81 speech

President of the General Assembly, Marcelo Capino, my dear Paraguayan compatriot, distinguished ministers, distinguished ladies and gentlemen, the slogan for this Assembly challenges us to restore trust, manage transformation, and ensure that the United Nations delivers for all. It's a good slogan. It's one that I wholeheartedly endorse. But let's be frank, dear friends, people don't want slogans anymore. Our people want solutions to their problems. That is why I have not come to this rostrum to recite beautiful phrases full of grandiose words that do nothing to improve the lives of our citizens. I have come to speak about concrete problems and to suggest solutions. I have come to speak on behalf of a country that rose from the most devastating war in the Western Hemisphere, the War of the Triple Alliance, which brought mourning to no fewer than four sister nations. One of those, the country that I represent, is one of the fastest growing countries in the world nowadays. Paraguay's contribution is not merely theoretical, it is based on experience. Facts have taught us that war is abhorrent, that peace is the only objective to pursue, and that we must stop watching from the sidelines, stop talking and start acting. Paraguay comes before the community of nations with one non-negotiable conviction: the dignity of the human person must be at the heart of every decision. For this reason, we defend freedom, democracy, the sovereignty of states, respect for human rights and the peaceful settlement of disputes. For this reason, we uphold human life from conception and we recognize the family as the fundamental unit of our society. Because when human dignity is forgotten, humanity itself disappears. Human dignity from conception until the end of life is the foundation of our presence on this earth. There is an increasingly visible gap between the commitments we make and the results we achieve. And as that gap widens, trust erodes. People no longer believe us. And that trust will not be restored through mere statements or beautiful slogans. It will be restored by confronting problems without fear, proposing solutions and delivering results. The first issue that I wish to address here is one that is in my own neighborhood in Latin America. Everyone's aware of it. Its name is Venezuela. Before coming to New York, I visited Caracas, despite the fact that the diplomatic relations between Paraguay and Venezuela have been suspended. My decision to visit the Caribbean country therefore surprised many and many people have questioned, sometimes harshly, my decision. I therefore like to use this forum to say it loudly and clearly. I didn't go to Venezuela to legitimize a regime. I did not go there to legitimize or validate anything whatsoever. No, ladies and gentlemen, quite the opposite. Paraguay cherishes democracy and we believe that the Venezuelan people also deserve democracy. The reason I went to Venezuela is because for 25 years, South American leaders have issued fine lyrical rhetoric, resounding statements and countless slogans on Venezuela. For 25 years, we watched, we waited. and we condemned from the comfort of this distance without doing anything for the Venezuelan people. We watched, we talked, but we didn't act. We did nothing. In the meantime, our Venezuelan brothers and sisters suffered. That is why I went to Venezuela a few days ago to take a second step following the first difficult but extremely important step that was represented by the fall of the dictator Maduro. because Paraguay can play a useful role in the second step, Venezuela's transition towards a pluralistic democracy. Venezuela is now facing a new reality. Defending our values cannot mean standing indifferent to that reality. That is why Paraguay has opened a channel of dialogue with the Venezuelan authorities and is already taking action towards a Venezuela in which power resides with its one true sovereign, the Venezuelan people. Dialogue doesn't mean abandoning our principles or forgetting the past. It means having the courage to look ahead and to act. We cannot wait for the United States or some northern power to resolve our problems. We have to resolve them ourselves. Venezuela. What I want is what my own country achieved after 35 years of dictatorship in 1989, a real lasting democratic transition. I don't want a photo opportunity. I don't want to communicate. I want, we want a transition with institutions, with security, with an economy and with a people that are once again integrated into the international community and in our region, integrated into Mercosur. Paraguayan leadership doesn't confuse dialogue with indifference. Dialogue, talking, is one way of standing with the Venezuelan people. It's also a way of jointly combating transnational crime, which knows no borders and which harms our entire region. Today, I call on all my Latin American brothers and sisters, but also on these United Nations. Let us come together to help Venezuela, this beautiful country, to reintegrate into the world and achieve a democratic government that respects human rights. To borrow the words of the Latin poet, Publius, "I am human, nothing human is alien to me." The suffering of the Venezuelan people is also the suffering of the Paraguayan people. It is the suffering of us all. And what applies to Venezuela applies perhaps even more so to Nicaragua, Cuba and Haiti, countries that have lived for far too long in the darkness of authoritarianism, violence and sorrow. Let us bring light to these sister nations, for where there are free elections, there is hope. But we mustn't stop at words. We must act. Let us do so. Let us do so together. Of course, problems are not confined to my region. There are problems all around the world. Paraguay is noting with deep concern what is happening in the Persian Gulf when the Strait of Hormuz is closed. It is not the great powers or the wealthiest who pay the price. It is the least protected who pay the price, the most vulnerable among our citizens. Food and energy security, the food and energy security of millions of people depends on keeping that passage open. Therefore, today I make an urgent appeal for the immediate cessation of attacks. for the full reopening of and freedom of navigation through the Straits of Hormuz and Bab al-Mandab, and a return to negotiations. Human dignity, dear friends, does not change when we move from one continent to another. It is always the same. And it is that human dignity that must guide not only our words, but also our actions. Hormuz is the problem we face today. But I wish to tell you here that tomorrow's problem could be far worse, infinitely worse. I'm referring to the ominous clouds gathering over the Indo-Pacific, particularly over the Taiwan Strait. What happens there is not merely a regional matter. No, ladies and gentlemen, it affects Japan. the whole of East and Southeast Asia, and above all, it affects the global economy. It affects the microchips that power industry, defense, and artificial intelligence. Anyone pretending that this is far off or too distant to matter simply has not understood the 21st century. If oil was the fuel of the 20th century, microchips are the fuel of the 21st. The stakes of this potential conflict could scarcely be higher. The very future of humanity is at stake. And I want to make one thing clear here. Paraguay is not neutral on this issue. Paraguay stands, and I say this loud and clear, with Taiwan. Not out of expediency, quite the opposite. We stand with Taiwan because of the profound values we share: democracy, the rule of law, human rights, and peace. Seventy years of uninterrupted diplomatic relations are not merely a number or the product of a mere calculation. They are a testament to the real friendship between our peoples. That is why today I reaffirm our support for the full and meaningful participation of the Republic of China, Taiwan, in the United Nations and its specialized agencies. Taiwan has concrete contributions to make to peace, development and human rights. Excluding it doesn't serve to strengthen the system. It deprives the system of capacities that could benefit us all. And it is a stain on the United Nations. But let's make no mistake, the problem is not Taiwan alone. What's happening there in that part of the world is simply too dangerous for us all. Dear friends, let us not stop at words or slogans. Let us move to concrete action. I assure you that at this negotiating table, at the table for peace and concord, Paraguay will be on the front row ready to help. But the world's problems do not end in a single region or place. They go to the very heart of the international system. The United Nations, and I am neither the first or the last to say so, needs renewal. It needs fresh impetus. And the admirable theme of this Assembly calls for a United Nations for all. An admirable theme, certainly, but I fear that it's not enough. So I ask you today, respectfully but firmly, how can we have a United Nations for all when it is led by a Security Council of the few? Worse still, this is a council that was designed 80 years ago for another era, for another scenario, another entire set of circumstances, one that all too often demonstrates it is simply unable to address today's problems. That original design, a product of its time, has achieved much without any doubt. And today I recognise and celebrate those achievements, we all should. Nonetheless, as the great Nobel laureate Bob Dylan would say, things have changed. And the organization, dear friends, has to change too. Different problems need different solutions. Otherwise, this magnificent idea, the United Nations, will simply be overtaken by events and will be reduced to a forum for beautiful speeches with very little action for ordinary people. Some have concluded from all of this that multilateralism has failed. Paraguay reaches a different conclusion. The United Nations remains indispensable. It is the only system that enables all the countries of the world to coexist, but it must become more effective at preventing conflict, protecting people, and ensuring respect for the rules that states themselves have agreed upon. Our commitment to peace is summed up in the words of a distinguished Paraguayan, Manuel Gondra. Since we cannot ensure that the just are always strong, we must strive to ensure that the strong are always just. Paraguay wishes to shoulder greater responsibilities within the system, but this system as it stands simply isn't working. That is why we believe that the selection of the next Secretary-General will be a fundamental decision. The time has come for that leadership to come from Latin America and the Caribbean. Our region has a vocation for peace, dialogue and multilateralism, and it has candidates that are capable of taking up that responsibility. We need a Secretary-General who restores the organization's political leadership, one that strengthens preventive diplomacy, acts before crises become irreversible, and one that listens to the states and the peoples whom this organization serves. In short, the Security Council must cease to be a pretty snapshot of the world as it was in 1945. It must listen more closely to this assembly and must not remain paralyzed when peace is threatened. We need a UN for 2026 or for 2050, not one for 1945. Only then will the United Nations be able to truly deliver for all of its members. This Assembly also calls on us to manage transformation. No one here needs me to tell them what the great transformation of our age is. Every great era in human history has had its driving force. Steam powered the industrial revolution. The transistor powered the digital age. No force in our time is as profound as artificial intelligence. We can already see its power in warfare, in the economy, and in our everyday lives. Unlike tools that merely transmitted what we said, these systems are part and parcel of the decisions that we make. The potential is immense. Paraguay today feeds 100 million people, and with this tool, it could feed 1 billion. It could enable us to cover in years distances that once took generations. This transformation cannot be held back and no one should be left out of it. However, we're not blind to the risks, but we

cannot allow fear to guide us. Like a child, artificial intelligence repeats what it has learned from those who trained it. If it has learned to deny freedom, then that lesson will not arrive in the form of a law that we can debate. It will arrive covert in some minor task, in some action that no one regards as a decision. Democracy endures provided that the decisions that govern us can be traced back to the will of those who must live with their consequences. When that thread is severed, the will of the people risks being replaced without ever having been defeated. Protecting that delicate thread doesn't mean forgoing the benefits. It means refusing to ignore the risk that truly matters. Artificial intelligence must serve human dignity and not replace it. As. His Holiness the Pope reminds us in the recent encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, the values embedded in these systems are not technical constraint, they are a choice made by those who train them. The future demands that the choice be freedom, democracy and equality before the law, and that those who make that choice be held accountable for it. It may seem that so far I have only talked about an endless series of problems and challenges. might seem that this is a pessimistic speech to many of you. No, dear friends, not at all. I'm simply convinced that the only way to change reality and to build a better world is firstly to acknowledge the reality that we face, to confront the problems in front of us. not to sweep them under the carpet or hide them in our speeches. That is why I've come here with an optimistic message. Things can change. The world can be better. Peace is not a chimera. It is a real possibility. And my country, Paraguay, is entitled to say so because we know all too well the harsh truth of the words of Erasmus of Rotterdam, "War is sweet only to those who have never experienced it." Paraguay has experienced it all too painfully and directly. We know what happens when multilateralism fails. People die. The earth becomes stained with blood. And the price is paid not only today, but for generations to come. That is why my country knows that multilateralism and dialogue are the only alternative. Today, I have come here to defend these ideas firmly. so that they become a reality. Extremism in the defense of multilateralism is no vice, it is a virtue. Let us be extremists, dear friends, extremists in defense of multilateralism, concord and peace. Just as Paraguay rose from a bloody war, the world can do so too. The Paraguay that after the military catastrophe became a true open-air graveyard is today a very different country. Paraguay has risen up and it is ready to take its place in the world. We rose up through hard work, through openness to the world and through the stubborn determination of a people that did not choose its democracy but did choose their own destiny. Today, Paraguay is experiencing one of the finest economic periods in its history. and it has become an example to other countries of macroeconomic stability, sustained growth and poverty reduction. As a result of this, in December 2025, Standard & Poor's awarded us our second investment grade rating, making Paraguay the first country in more than a decade to achieve that distinction. In the final quarter of that year, unemployment fell to 3.6%. This is the lowest level in our records. Growth only matters if it is felt at home. Decent employment is one of the best social policies a state can provide. And that's not all. Paraguay has reduced poverty to levels never seen before. In less than 20 years, we have brought the poverty rate down from 58% to 16%, faster than any other country in the region. Because people matter to us. Moreover, the future is bright, not only because our electricity supply is abundant, stable and 100% renewable, but also because our region possesses land, energy, critical minerals and, most importantly, its extraordinary people. Mr. President, As I come to the end of my statement, I wish to return to the idea with which I began. People no longer want slogans alone. They want solutions to their problems. And above all, they want peace. They want freedom, security, democracy, prosperity, and opportunities for their children. And those of us who are entrusted with the responsibility of leading our countries must rise to those expectations. Paraguay knows that the road ahead is difficult, but we also know that it is not impossible. We believe it is possible to build a world in which cooperation delivers results, a world where democracy is not an empty promise, a world where technology serves humanity, a world in which development reaches those who need it most. We believe that Paraguay has much to contribute to that future. We are a country that did not choose its geography, but we are a country that chose our destiny, a country that has confronted adversity and chose to rise again, a country with energy, resources, talent, and above all, an unbreakable determination to progress. We are a country that has stopped asking what we lack and has begun asking, how far can we go? This is the Paraguay, the Paraguay of great ambitions, a Paraguay that is engaged with the world, that opens its door to opportunity, that defends its sovereignty, that embraces peace, freedom, and democracy, a Paraguay that seeks to grow without leaving anyone behind. And that Paraguay has a message for the world today. We have come to show what we are capable of. Today, once again, we choose dialogue over confrontation, cooperation over isolation, democracy over authoritarianism, peace over war, and development over resignation. The United Nations will not restore trust simply because we declare it so in this hall. We must be firm and unequivocal in our defense of multilateralism, democracy, peace, and above all, human dignity. And before this assembly, I wish to say this with absolute clarity. Paraguay is ready to play its part, because our history has taught us to resist and our future calls on us to build. Beyond words lie actions. Dear brothers and sisters from around the world, I conclude with a request, an exhortation, almost a prayer. Let us be extremists in the defense of multilateralism, democracy, peace, and above all, human dignity. Only then will future generations be able to look back and say that we fulfilled our mission, that we restored trust in humanity, that we managed transformation for the better, and that we built a United Nations that delivers for all. Thank you very much.