International

Colombia – President Addresses United Nations General Debate, 78th Session

29/09/2023

Gustavo Petro Urrego, President of Colombia, addresses the general debate of the 78th Session of the General Assembly of the United Nations (New York, 19 – 26 September 2023).

Speaking at the High-level week of the General Assembly, the President of Colombia, Gustavo Petro Urrego, asked the United Nations to hold two peace conferences, one on Ukraine and one on Palestine.

Addressing Member States today (19 Sep), Petro said, “I propose bringing an end to this war, so that we have time to save ourselves. I propose that the United Nations should hold as soon as possible two peace conferences. One on Ukraine, the other on Palestine. Not because there are no other wars in the world, as there are in my country, but because this would guide the way in making peace in all regions of the planet, because both of these can bring an end to the hypocrisy as a political practice.”

Petro continued, “I propose bringing an end to the war, to defend life from the climate crisis, which is the mother of all crisis.”

Referring to climate change, the Colombian President said, “If the mega crisis of life is to be resolved, it will be through a democracy that achieves global scale, a deeper democracy, which will not fear interlinking states and societies and planning for the great Marshall Plan of the revitalization of the planet.”

“The market will help us somewhat, but we can ask for solutions from a mechanism which has no humanity, when it was this mechanism that produced the problem,” added Petro.

The Head of State concluded, “As the president of this country of beauty, I propose a reform of the financial system, of the IMF, of the multilateral banks, bringing an end to economical blockades and guiding funds from private capital. If everybody’s debt is reduced, paying off the creditors with an IMF issuance of special drawing rights, there will be a decrease in the global public debt and a real increase in budgets and public funds.”

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