A maelstrom of challenges, including the COVD-19 pandemic, the Russian invasion of Ukraine and attacks on democracy and human rights, “shake the foundations” of the General Assembly, the Foreign Minister warned on Wednesday Affairs and Worship of Costa Rica in his intervention in the high-level debate of the main organ of the Organization.
Faced with this complicated international scenario, Arnoldo André Tinoco launched a series of “comprehensive solutions to the multiple crises we face, and indicated that it is impossible to end poverty” without empowering women and girls, guaranteeing respect for human rights without addressing climate change, or addressing the reform of the international financial system”.
The economic situation and the migratory flow
The Costa Rican foreign minister stressed that the response to the many challenges we face must first include “a focus on rights and obligations.”
“Human rights and unambiguous respect or justification for human dignity and worth are not just words; are obligations contracted by the States, enshrined in the United Nations Charterthe Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and all human rights treaties and instruments,” he said.
Tinoco stressed that “the fight against poverty, inequality, exclusion, requires human rights” and recalled that his country “has never closed the doors to migrants who see in our land a route of passage or a destination to integrate into our society”.
As proof of this, he declared that Costa Rica was the fourth nation in the world that received the most refugee applications per capita during the last five years, but clarified that its economic situation and fiscal straitness, together with the massive migratory flow, limit the capacity for action. and they put at risk the adequate coverage of the people who seek refuge in their soil.
“It is with a real sense of urgency that we require the support of the international community to meet this challenge, which has been exacerbated not only by conflict and poverty, but also by the impact of climate change.”
Costa Rica advocates the reduction of world military spending
He went on to equate human security with global security and declared that his country finds it incomprehensible that there are millions of people waiting for vaccines, medicines or food, while the richest nations prioritize their weapons resources “at the expense of people’s well-being, climate health and an equitable recovery.”
“In 2021, global military spending continued to rise for the seventh year in a row to reach the highest figure we have seen in history. Costa Rica today reiterates its call for a gradual and sustained reduction in military spendingbecause the more weapons we produce, the more they will escape our best management and control efforts”, he reasoned.
In the same way, he showed his conviction that it is possible to achieve peace and security without resorting to the use of nuclear weapons, since only their total elimination “is the only guarantee against the use or threat of use”, for which He urged more States to sign and ratify the Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, as well as adhere to the Vienna Declaration and its Plan of Action.
New indicators beyond GDP per capita
He stressed that the third solution must be found in the financial field, since middle-income countries face “significant inequalities and challenges, such as increased fiscal straitness,” which limit their “capacity for action and investment and put the social fabric at risk.” ”.
“And although we are home to the highest percentage of poor people and migrants in the world, our categorization it does not allow us to access official development aid or obtain concessional financing on favorable and fair terms”, he revealed.
For this reason, he highlighted the urgency of “going beyond GDP per capita” and having new indicators for the allocation of aid, investment and international cooperation, “that take into account other aspects such as structural deficiencies, climate risks, market fluctuations and fiscal stability.
Finally, he noted that the fourth action calls for a high level of urgency and ambition to address the triple environmental crisis that includes climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution. He added that for this, “a healthy ocean and a blue economy approach” are transcendental.
“At the forefront of the natural catastrophes that hit our countries, of droughts and heat waves, of forest fires, floods never seen before, are the people. With them in mind, Costa Rica leads, together with France and the United Kingdom, the High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People, which seeks the global conservation of; 30% of the Earth and the ocean,” she said.
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