Lacalle Pou highlighted Uruguay as an environmental pioneer
Uruguay is an example in the practice of sustainable finance, which generates care for the environment simultaneously with State financing, said President Luis Lacalle Pou, in his speech at the 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, in New York. In addition, he appealed for the end of market protectionism and condemned the Venezuelan regime, which he defined as authoritarian and intolerant.
In his last speech as president at the international organization, during the afternoon of yesterday, Thursday the 26th, in the city of New York, United States, Lacalle Pou highlighted that, in this intervention, as in the previous ones, there was an emphasized principle : responsible freedom. In that sense, he stated that life in society is about the development of individuals and the common good. “It is impossible to understand humanity without understanding the concessions that the individual makes for the common good,” he added.
Likewise, he assured that globalization will deepen and that this opportunity must be taken to meet different cultures; “get to know each other more”, “as long as we are tolerant and respectful of those who think differently.”
The president added that there is an obligation to deepen the criteria of freedom and justice, especially at the international level. Everyone must make the effort, without this meaning the loss of freedom, independence or sovereignty, he clarified.
He added, meanwhile, that fair mechanisms are needed, through which international law is applied to everyone equally, in an effort to build credible and solid law. The agreements, treaties, conventions or documents that are signed and not fulfilled only collaborate in eroding international regulations, he explained.
Lacalle Pou valued that the guarantee of justice, which grants a large part of the freedoms, falls on the rulers and leaders. In a modern world, where speeches generate actions, we are obliged to “be much more careful to stimulate unity and avoid disunity between nations,” he considered.
The political dynamics have led some leaders to make division a tool to reach power and stay in it, he continued in his speech. In some countries, the defective practice of formal and material democracy has made freedom a scarce commodity. Such is the case of what is happening in Venezuela, he said. As a government, “we have always been far from that authoritarian and intolerant regime that has attacked freedom and the common good,” he said.
Regarding this reality, Lacalle Pou criticized the position of governments and leaders of “looking to the side.” It is no longer about presenting the election minutes, he clarified. Fraud, the regime, and a flawed electoral process must be “condemned,” as well as “political persecution, violation of human rights, and arbitrary ambition.” He declared that it is time to act for Venezuela and for Venezuelans and that, if the international community is tolerant of these attitudes, all that remains is to wait and see which country will be the next to submit to what Venezuelans are experiencing today.
In another order, he highlighted Uruguay’s vocation in caring for the environment and celebrated the link between this aspect and the economy, which, he considered, allows us to speak of “sustainable finances.” He stated that Uruguay has been a pioneer in issuing instruments such as bonds or loans for which compliance with environmental objectives determines higher or lower interests. There is a “cascade effect” that benefits the financing of a State and, in turn, takes care of the environment, he maintained.
Producers who apply a clean economy are also rewarded, which allows them to access better growth possibilities. “We have made a great effort to reverse processes,” added Lacalle Pou. However, he mentioned that for “the road to be passable” in the medium and long term, processes must be improved and economic commitments must be assumed and fulfilled, since the absence generates disincentive in the care of the ecosystem.
At the closing of the speech, the president reaffirmed his position regarding the absence of commercial freedoms that result in the impossibility of enjoying international freedom. “Protectionism has been a brake on the development of our people, where isolation in the face of these barriers is encouraged,” he expressed. He pointed out that a direction must be generated “towards a world more open to the goods and services of other countries, without neglecting the domestic economy,” if the concept of equal opportunities is truly believed.
The concept “we are all one” should function as a daily guide for the exercise of government, both internally and in bilateral or multilateral relationships, since progress would be faster and much more united, he concluded.
