He General secretary The UN called for greater support for the international mission to help Haiti combat gang violence in his speech to regional leaders gathered in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines on Friday.
The island country hosts the last summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), made up of more than 30 countries.
António Guterres highlighted the need for solidarity in the areas of peace and security, sustainable development, social cohesion and climate action.
Peace is possible
“Latin America and the Caribbean have shown that Uniting for peace is possible and makes a difference“, he claimed.
He highlighted the “important progress” made in the peace process in Colombia and the joint declaration recently signed by Guyana and Venezuela to reduce border tensions.
However, he noted that organized crime continues to plague many countries.
Threat of arms trafficking
“Arms trafficking has become the most important threat to the security of the region“said the UN chief. “It will not be possible to combat it effectively without much stronger international cooperation, from the source to the streets.”
In this sense, he welcomed the security partnership recently launched by the Andean countries to help Ecuador, while the new Government in Guatemala “offers an opportunity to advance democratic development, the rule of law and other key aspects of the peace agenda.”
He warned that Haiti's already serious situation is worsening day by day, as gangs hold the country hostage and use sexual violence as a weapon.
Support for Haiti
Last October, the Security Council The UN has authorized a multinational security support mission to support the national police, which Kenya has offered to lead. Several countries, including members of CELAC, made additional pledges of support during an event on the sidelines of the G20 meeting in Brazil last week.
“I welcome these efforts, but Much more needs to be done to ensure the deployment of this mission without further delay and a political solution that can solve the country's fundamental problems,” he declared.
Secretary-General António Guterres (left) delivers a speech at the VIII Summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
Stimulus for sustainable development
Addressing sustainable development, the Secretary-General reported that efforts to achieve a more just and equitable global future are at risk.
This comes at a time when millions of people in the region face hunger and poverty, and as many countries drown in debt.
Last September, world leaders endorsed his proposal for $500 billion in annual funding to boost sustainable development, but “unfortunately, resistance has been severe.”
Guterres expressed his hope that the Future Summit to be held at UN headquarters next September will move towards reform of “an unfair, outdated and ineffective global financial architecture“.
Climate justice and financing
The Secretary General arrived in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines on Thursday. At a press conference in Kingstown, the capital, he expressed solidarity with small island developing states that are on the front lines of the fight against climate change.
He called for greater action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, something he said “is essentially the responsibility of the G20 countries” as these richer nations are the main polluters.
“But we need much more climate justice, which means much more financing available at a reasonable cost for adaptation and mitigation for developing countries and, in particular, for small island developing states,” he said.
