General Assembly Session 49 meeting 69

The President

In connection with the report of the Secretary-General in document A/49/489 and Corr.1, I should like to inform delegations that, in paragraph 4, the first four document numbers that are still missing should read A/49/487, A/49/562, A/49/397 and A/49/534 respectively; and in paragraph 15, the missing document number should read A/49/534. I should also like members to note that the last phrase of paragraph 4 of the report is replaced by paragraph 1 (b) of the corrigendum.

The notes by the Secretary-General transmitting the reports of the Director of the Human Rights Division of the United Nations Observer Mission in El Salvador are contained in documents A/49/59, A/49/116, A/49/281 and A/49/585.

I now call on the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Worship of Costa Rica, His Excellency Mr. Fernando Naranjo Villalobos, to introduce draft resolution A/49/L.35.

Mr. Naranjo Villalobos (Costa Rica)

I have the honour to address the General Assembly, on behalf of Costa Rica and the sister countries of Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama, under agenda item 42, "The situation in Central America: Procedures for the establishment of a firm and lasting peace and progress in fashioning a region of peace, freedom, democracy and development".

We are approaching the commemoration of the fiftieth anniversary of the United Nations. In this half century, and especially in recent years, the world has greatly changed, and the Organization has changed as well.

Central America, the turbulent and volcanic midsection of the Western hemisphere, has also greatly changed. The six countries of Central America were among the founders of the United Nations. In those days several Central American countries were struggling to overthrow oppressive regimes or to eradicate their consequences. However, the true conquest of democracy in all the countries of the region has occurred only recently, thanks to the process begun at Esquipulas.

Through a series of negotiations initiated by the Central American countries, and in which the United Nations played a significant role, Central America has managed to build effective democracy and a lasting peace. The war and widespread violence that had afflicted some of the countries in the isthmus were brought to an end thanks to a real process of national reconciliation. Respect for human rights was strengthened and the process of regional integration was renewed.

Central America moved from war to peace. But Central Americans are well aware that peace, if understood merely as the absence of war, cannot be consolidated in our region unless we have the social and economic conditions appropriate for our peoples and unless we can ensure the well-being of present and future generations within a framework of freedom and justice. To that end, in 1994 Central America took up the challenge of moving towards a new model of development.

In August of 1994 the Presidents of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama, with the Prime Minister of Belize present, held their fifteenth regular meeting in the Costa Rican town of Guacimo. On that occasion the Central American leaders, while ratifying their commitment to democracy, laid down a new course for the region, which led to an alliance for sustainable development.

That Central American initiative is comprehensive in nature. Its aim is to overcome critical poverty by investing in the social sector; to promote respect for the environment and preservation of the region's natural heritage, while creating equitable economic growth and genuine opportunities for the most vulnerable groups in society. It also entails a moral struggle for honesty in public life and dedication in the exercise of power.

With a view to avoiding the rhetorical exercises that in the past had led to the loss of so many resources and so much time for the Central American countries, at Guacimo the Presidents also adopted a programme of concrete action with precise goals and timetables.

On 12 October 1994, while attending another of their gatherings, the Presidents of the Republics of the isthmus met at Managua, Nicaragua, to sign an Alliance for the Sustainable Development of Central America.

The Alliance for Sustainable Development, an initiative with short-, medium- and long-term policies, programmes and actions, marks a change in the strategy for development -- a change in individual and collective attitudes and changes in local, national and regional policies towards the political, economic, social, cultural and environmental sustainability of Central American societies, all in keeping with Agenda 21.

This effort is not designed to replace existing machinery for integration but to complement it, strengthen it and provide it with guidelines that will make sustainable development the central strategy and policy of our countries and of the region as a whole.

The sustainable development to which Central America aspires can be achieved only within the framework of an authentic, pluralist and participatory democracy as the basis of human existence. We have agreed to incorporate it more and more directly into civil society in our region and to bring our peoples into the decision-making process in recognition of the important role such a process can play in the consolidation of democracy.

The sustainable development to which Central America aspires can be achieved only if it involves basic economic development rooted in freedom, dignity, justice, efficiency and the equitable access of our products to the international market-place. In other historical periods Central America experienced economic growth without necessarily improving the living standards of more than just a few. Today our endeavour is different. We do not want an increase in figures but an increase in the well-being of the largest possible number of people.

The sustainable development to which Central America aspires can be achieved only through the rational management of the region's natural resources and an improvement in the quality of the environment. Here, the Presidents of Central America at the Managua Summit signed 23 specific commitments with regard to natural resources, all aimed at protecting our heritage and putting a stop to its irrational exploitation, combating pollution and making concrete efforts to preserve the environment.

Mr. Naranjo Villalobos (Costa Rica)

Linked by ideals of social responsibility, on 24 and 25 October at Tegucigalpa our countries' leaders participated in an International Conference on Peace and Development in Central America. There, comprehensively and with all transparency, they laid down new regional priorities with the donor community and organized civil society.

At the Tegucigalpa meeting important commitments were made in the political, economic, social, cultural and integrational fields, complementing the efforts begun at Managua with the signature of the Alliance for the Sustainable Development of Central America.

At Tegucigalpa new guidelines were laid down to strengthen democracy and regional security. Priority areas were established for action in the economic, social and cultural fields.

Central America as a whole is committed to making decisive efforts for its future. The success of those efforts will determine the degree of well-being and prosperity of our peoples and their future generations.

We believe that the success of this undertaking is in the interest not only of the nations of Central America. As the tragic events of the past decade have shown, Central American peace and stability are important factors for our neighbours in North and South America and in the Caribbean. However, above all, we believe that the tangible and positive results of Central America's efforts can serve as a model to other small and poor countries in the hemisphere or in other parts of the world that are finding in sustainable development a viable option when undertaking new courses of action.

We realize that our efforts are modest in terms of magnitude because the dimensions and resources of Central America are themselves modest. But we are confident that this will make it easier for us to achieve our objectives and that our experience can serve as an inspiration to other developing nations.

If Central America manages to achieve its objectives, and if we Central Americans can make our Alliance for Sustainable Development effective, nothing would make us happier than to know that other countries with similar problems were finding solutions based on the experience of our region.

The international community made a decisive contribution to the process of bringing peace and democracy to Central America. Various States and State organizations, as well as numerous non-governmental organizations, enthusiastically supported our peace negotiations and provided moral and material support for the process of demobilizing and repatriating refugees and displaced persons and dealing with other aspects of this vast undertaking.

The Central America that won democracy and peace is here today to express its hope that the international community will continue to support the sustainable development of the region, as it has done for the past decade. Without this support, there will be only fragile peace and democracy in Central America.

To forge ahead with the Alliance for Sustainable Development, the Central America of peace and democracy requires international cooperation. We need programmes and projects that will make it possible to fulfil our commitments in the fields of social and economic progress and the environment and our commitments to present, and especially to future, generations. In particular, we are concerned at the fact that the sums allocated to various development programmes have been reduced and that funds designated for the Special Plan of Economic Cooperation for Central America are exhausted.

The countries of Central America are very grateful for the concern shown by the United Nations and its agencies in the cause of regional peace and democracy. We appeal to other bodies in the system, especially the United Nations Development Programme, to give consideration, within the framework of the new strategy for sustainable development, to providing the resources necessary for the establishment of new, updated regional programmes. At the same time, we Central Americans make a fraternal appeal to the States Members of the United Nations to respond, individually or collectively, to this new Central American undertaking by cooperating with us in our efforts to turn our objectives into fruitful results.

The draft resolution that the six countries of Central America have introduced for the General Assembly's consideration is entitled "The situation in Central America: procedures for the establishment of a firm and lasting peace and progress in fashioning a region of peace, freedom, democracy and development". It sets forth the steps that have been taken by Central America as we move towards sustainable development. It reflects our countries' main aspirations with regard to the role that we are convinced the international community -- in particular, the United Nations -- can play in this new Central American undertaking. We are confident that the will of the General Assembly will concur, in spirit and in letter, with the draft resolution.

Central America wants freedom and peace, and in a historically brief period we triumphed in our fight for these things. Today, Central America faces a new challenge: sustainable development. Whether we gain a new and even finer victory will depend on the will and determination of Central Americans and on the support for our efforts that we find in the international community.

The Popol Vuh is a sacred book of the Quiches -- one of the richest pre-Colombian cultures in Central America -- whose elders, it is said, prayed in these words many centuries ago:

"Oh, heaven's heart, heart of the Earth!

Bring back your glory and your riches.

Give your children life and well-being." Today, in this Organization, which is the heart of the Earth, and knowing that God does help those who help themselves, Central America repeats that old prayer in faith and hope.

The President

I should like to propose that the list of speakers in the debate on this item be closed in half an hour.

If I hear no objection, I shall take it that the Assembly agrees to that proposal.

The President

I request those representatives wishing to participate in the debate to inscribe their names on the list of speakers as soon as possible.

Mr. Macedo (Mexico)

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