Chilean president urges global solidarity, social justice in UN address
Gabriel Boric encourages world leaders to unite in what he called 'an era of uncertainty and shocks'
Chilean President Gabriel Boric speaks during the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly at UN headquarters in New York City on September 20, 2022.
MEXICO CITY
Chilean President Gabriel Boric addressed the challenges weighing on the world and said no country is immune to world events in his address to the UN General Assembly's 77th session on Tuesday.
The young president conveyed his country's experiences in the fight for sovereignty and social justice, and encouraged world leaders to unite in what he called "an era of uncertainty and shocks."
Regarding the inflationary crisis exacerbated by Russia’s war against Ukraine, Boric condemned Moscow’s actions as unilateral and "an unfair war of aggression" against Ukraine, for which he pledged his support.
While he said the war pushed up fuel prices and led to shortages of grain and fertilizer, the Chilean leader contended that the US commercial war against China since the presidency of Donald Trump in 2018, and the coronavirus pandemic, have destabilized the global economy.
"Chile needs the world, and the world needs Chile, too," he said. "It is clear that no country here is isolated or immune to global shocks or events."
Boric also touched on the importance of the climate crisis lashing the whole world, noting that Chile is in the region of the Americas and the global south that is the most affected by man-made climate change.
He said Chile and others in the global south produce and are responsible for a minimum of greenhouse gas emissions. Chile produces just 0.24% of greenhouse gases while facing urgent and clear signs of climate change. In contrast, "the largest economies of the G20 produce 80% of greenhouse emissions," he said.
Drawing on his country's experience, Boric upheld Chile's transformation from one of the poorest Spanish colonies to a sovereign and thriving emerging economy, which he said is key to the worldwide adoption of clean energies, thanks to the vast lithium reserves in Chile.
A rising economic portfolio is one thing, but the struggle for social justice is an ongoing and painful process, he said, as he referenced his failure to address the majority of the Chilean population’s need for a new Constitution.
In light of the failed plebiscite, Boric promised to look for better formulas to address social unrest in Chile and asked world leaders to fight for the same.
"I invite you to plan ahead in the search for greater social justice to better distribute wealth and power. This should go hand in hand with sustainable growth, and I am deeply convinced that it can be shared and it is possible indeed, it is urgent," he said.
