Panama’s President José Raúl Mulino delivered a bold speech at the United Nations General Assembly, defending the neutrality of the Panama Canal amid growing tensions between the United States and China. Mulino rejected Donald Trump’s recent call to “recover” the canal and reaffirmed that it “will remain Panamanian.” He also raised global concerns about migration through the Darién Gap, warning that while the immediate crisis has eased, the root causes of mass migration remain unaddressed. Mulino further highlighted unchecked migration on the Haiti–Dominican Republic border, urging world leaders to take action.
#Panama #UNGA #PanamaCanal #USChinaTensions #MigrationCrisis #DarienGap #DonaldTrump #GlobalPolitics #CanalNeutrality #WorldNews
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#Panama #UNGA #PanamaCanal #USChinaTensions #MigrationCrisis #DarienGap #DonaldTrump #GlobalPolitics #CanalNeutrality #WorldNews
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00:00while at the same time appearing on lists alongside countries that promote terrorism.
00:05We believe it is the right time to undertake a comprehensive reform.
00:10Nature, we think, is our front line of defense against climate change.
00:14The Assembly will hear an address by His Excellency José Romulino Guintero,
00:19President of the Republic of Panama.
00:23I request protocol to escort His Excellency and invite him to address the Assembly.
00:30A very good morning, Madam President,
00:50distinguished heads of state and government,
00:55honorable delegates,
01:00on behalf of the Panamanian people,
01:03with profound respect and renewed hope,
01:07I appear before this honorable assembly
01:10on the 80th anniversary of this organization,
01:15which remains a beacon for peace, cooperation and progress.
01:20Panama has been committed since the signing of the Charter of San Francisco in 1945
01:28to peace-building, security, sustainable development and human rights.
01:37Over these eight decades,
01:39our country has championed multilateral diplomacy
01:43and public international law as a cornerstone of our foreign policy.
01:50The UN-80 initiative,
01:53presented by the Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres,
01:57offers an opportunity to reflect on the past,
02:00to raise awareness of present threats
02:04and to envision a fairer future.
02:08We firmly believe that today, more than ever,
02:13we must strengthen the value of multilateralism
02:16to respond to global challenges and crises
02:21as a tool to mitigate asymmetries among nations.
02:25In this regard,
02:27I wish to highlight that multilateral policy
02:31contributed to our country's removal, for instance,
02:37from discriminatory lists imposed by the European Union
02:40and the Financial Action Task Force,
02:44since it does not make sense
02:45to be a member of the Security Council of this organization,
02:49while at the same time appearing on lists
02:51alongside countries that promote terrorism.
02:54We believe it is the right time
02:56to undertake a comprehensive reform,
02:59to make the Security Council more effective,
03:02to make the General Assembly more representative,
03:05to make specialized agencies more inclusive
03:08and, above all, to reduce bureaucracy.
03:14Panama, just like other countries,
03:15calls for greater representation of Latin America
03:18and the Caribbean in decision-making bodies.
03:21The time has come to update the architecture
03:26of multilateral governance.
03:29Our region is the world's leading exporter of food.
03:36It is home to a strategic canal
03:39linking the Atlantic and the Pacific,
03:42and it holds more than 50% of the planet's biodiversity.
03:45We are major suppliers of minerals.
03:51We possess the largest freshwater reserves.
03:55We live together in peace,
03:56and we strive to preserve this.
03:59All of these elements make us a key global actor,
04:04and we must ensure that our representation reflects our role
04:11and our global significance.
04:13In line with our mission to contain and prevent
04:16the tragic outcome of a global war,
04:20which was its fundamental raison d'être,
04:23the United Nations is also facing a challenge
04:28of promoting urgent action
04:30to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.
04:38Today, the world is facing a trifecta
04:41of devastating crises,
04:43climate change,
04:45pollution and biodiversity loss,
04:47all against a backdrop of weakened cooperation.
04:52The response to these crises must be swift and united.
04:58In response,
05:00Panama has put forward its Nature Pledge,
05:04which is our pact with nature.
05:06This is a new way of understanding
05:09environmental and climate policy,
05:12integrating our obligations on climate,
05:15biodiversity and land
05:17into a single national commitment.
05:22In practice,
05:23Panama is pledging to curb its emissions by 2035.
05:28Even as a carbon-negative country,
05:32we believe there's always room
05:34to take further steps towards sustainability
05:36for future generations.
05:41To this end,
05:42we will be restoring 100,000 hectares
05:45of priority ecosystems,
05:47including mangroves and water basins,
05:49because nature, we think,
05:51is our front line of defense
05:53against climate change.
05:56Panama trusts in a renewed United Nations,
06:00one that strengthens digital security
06:02and international cooperation
06:03with ethical and inclusive principles,
06:08that supports just energy transitions,
06:10and one that upholds freedom of expression.
06:16In this spirit,
06:18we reaffirm our unwavering respect
06:20for freedom and democracy in our region,
06:22which continues to suffer from instability
06:25at the hands of those
06:26who disregard the popular will
06:28expressed through the ballot box,
06:30or who simply do not permit
06:32open and transparent elections.
06:34We aspire to be a member
06:38of the United Nations
06:39that is capable of preventing conflicts
06:41before they arise,
06:43that can better respond promptly
06:45to humanitarian emergencies,
06:47that better coordinates
06:48its field agencies,
06:50and that more faithfully represents
06:53the diversity of peoples across the globe.
06:57Panama has offered to host offices
07:00of United Nations system organizations
07:03to support reform efforts
07:06under the UN-80 initiative.
07:14I also wish today
07:17to express my solidarity
07:20with the Japanese people,
07:22this on the occasion
07:24of the 23rd anniversary
07:27of North Korea's admission
07:30of its abduction
07:32of at least 17 Japanese nationals.
07:36The world needs to know the truth
07:39so that these events
07:41are never repeated,
07:43and Japan deserves justice.
07:47Ladies and gentlemen,
07:49I cannot let this opportunity pass
07:53without highlighting
07:54that we have now completed
07:56a quarter century
07:57since our canal
07:58was transferred
07:59into Panamanian hands.
08:00As of the 31st of December 1999,
08:03the Republic of Panama
08:04took up the works
08:06and operations of the canal
08:07efficiently, safely,
08:10sustainably, and neutrally,
08:12this in accordance
08:13with the Panama Canal Treaty,
08:15Torrijos Carta Treaty,
08:17and the Permanent Neutrality Treaty,
08:19which were both signed in 1977.
08:22Since then,
08:23we have administered
08:24the waterway
08:25in exemplary fashion,
08:27contributed to the country's
08:28economic development,
08:29and operated the canal
08:30for the benefit
08:31of international navigation.
08:33Over this period,
08:34Panama expanded
08:35the interoceanic route
08:37using our own resources
08:38to meet the demand
08:40of larger vessels.
08:43Now we are taking
08:44another step forward.
08:45We are supporting
08:46the Panama Canal Authority
08:48in the development
08:50of the Rio Indio Reservoir.
08:52This is an ambitious project
08:54to ensure water supply
08:56for our population
08:57and the canal,
08:59so that vessel traffic
09:00is not threatened
09:02by recurring droughts
09:06in our region.
09:09Our waterway serves
09:11more than 180 maritime routes
09:14and more than 140 nations,
09:18and approximately 4%
09:20of global trade
09:21passes through it.
09:23We are committed
09:24to ensuring efficiency
09:26in support
09:27of international logistics.
09:29Before this assembly,
09:31Panama once again
09:32reaffirms its serious
09:35and sustained commitment
09:36to the regime
09:38established under the treaty
09:40concerning permanent neutrality.
09:44the protocol of which
09:49numerous states
09:50have adhered to.
09:51Neutrality is the best formula
09:53to safeguard the security
09:55of our canal,
09:56a global public good.
09:59The Panama Canal
10:00is neutral,
10:01open to the world,
10:03and a facilitator
10:04of more integrated
10:05international trade.
10:07It is and shall remain
10:09Panamanian.
10:10Ladies and gentlemen,
10:13Panama, as you know,
10:14holds a non-permanent seat
10:16on the United Nations
10:17Security Council
10:18for the 2025-2026 term.
10:22This past August,
10:23we held the rotating
10:25presidency of the Security Council.
10:27We viewed this role
10:28as a responsibility
10:29to maintain a strong voice
10:32in favour of peace,
10:34sovereign equality of states,
10:36justice,
10:38international law,
10:39and respect for agreements
10:42among nations.
10:44We have also stressed
10:46the importance
10:46of maritime security
10:48as a priority
10:50during our participation
10:52in the Council.
10:54Panama's national identity
10:56is closely linked
10:57to maritime transport.
11:00Over the centuries,
11:01we have consolidated
11:02our role as a key actor
11:04in navigation
11:05and international trade.
11:08Piracy,
11:11arms and drugs trafficking,
11:13and illegal fishing
11:14all affect trade
11:16and the global
11:17maritime transport system.
11:20As a transit nation
11:22and a logistics hub
11:24in our continent,
11:25Panama proposes
11:26to strengthen cooperation
11:27among specialised agencies,
11:29including through
11:31a regional network
11:32to promote maritime security.
11:34This would operate
11:35under the umbrella
11:36of ocean governance
11:37and in accordance
11:38with international law.
11:41I wish to reiterate
11:42before this assembly
11:43the work that this organisation
11:45needs to undertake
11:46to mitigate the effects
11:47of illegal migration
11:48driven by organisations
11:50that are either directly
11:51or indirectly linked
11:53to drugs trafficking.
11:57For years,
11:58millions of people
11:59have been passing
12:00through our Darien region
12:01which is on our border
12:02with Colombia.
12:04And yet in just one year
12:05in office,
12:06we've reduced the flow
12:07of migrants heading north
12:08to zero.
12:09That crisis was resolved,
12:11thus meeting the promise
12:12to shut down
12:13illegal crossings
12:14through the Darien.
12:17The humanitarian
12:18and environmental consequences
12:20were extreme.
12:22The suffering of women
12:23and children
12:24subjected to abuse
12:26and the pollution
12:27of one of the world's
12:28most biodiverse areas.
12:31These continue
12:31to cause pain
12:33to those of us
12:34who have had direct contact
12:35with the situation.
12:38Today, we are seeing
12:39north-south migration
12:40on a much smaller scale
12:42but which renews
12:44our commitment
12:44to the orderly transit
12:45of people
12:46so that they may return home.
12:48I must say that
12:51while the migratory crisis
12:53has been resolved,
12:54the causes of mass emigration
12:56remain unaddressed.
13:00The fact that our country
13:01has resolved this scourge
13:03doesn't mean that we should
13:04let up in our demands
13:05for concrete responses
13:07such as in the case
13:08of the border between Haiti
13:09and the Dominican Republic
13:10which is facing unchecked migration
13:13that also has an effect
13:15on the entire region.
13:17It's essential that we find
13:19clear solutions
13:20both for the Haitian crisis
13:22and more generally
13:24for effective control
13:25of migratory flows.
13:26We are currently suffering
13:29from the growth
13:30of another illegal activity
13:32which is drug trafficking.
13:35Today, it poses a threat
13:36to human lives
13:38and a grave risk
13:41of instability
13:42throughout the entire region
13:44due to the different cartels
13:46operating there.
13:48Just to give you a quick idea,
13:51this year alone,
13:53Panama has seized
13:54nearly 150 tons
13:57of cocaine
13:59and other drugs.
14:01This is an historic
14:03and alarming figure.
14:05One which compels us
14:07to step up our efforts
14:08to seek greater cooperation
14:10and to galvanize resources
14:13in a struggle
14:14that must be a common cause
14:15among all nations of the world.
14:18Honourable members,
14:20next year,
14:21the Amphictyonic Congress
14:23of Panama
14:24convened by the liberator
14:26Simón Bolívar
14:27will celebrate its bicentenary.
14:29Its proposal was
14:31for an international system
14:32based on the sovereign equality
14:33of states,
14:34justice,
14:35law
14:35and international cooperation
14:37to achieve
14:38the people's common goals.
14:41We hope that this commemoration
14:43will serve as a new starting point
14:46for international cooperation,
14:48one that respects
14:49and elevates
14:50the values of sovereignty,
14:51peace and peaceful coexistence,
14:54values that must guide our work
14:56in this and other global fora.
15:00Honourable members,
15:01before this forum
15:02of global peace
15:03and international cooperation,
15:05I reiterate the faith
15:07of the Panamanian people
15:08in the United Nations system.
15:10At times of crisis,
15:12when the winds of unilateralism,
15:15polarisation and fragmentation
15:17are blowing,
15:19Panama will raise its voice
15:21in defence of multinaturalism.
15:24Panama will remain an enthusiastic member
15:26of the United Nations,
15:28a defender of international law
15:30and a tireless proponent of global peace.
15:33because as this year's theme
15:36reminds us,
15:37we are stronger together
15:38and only together
15:41can we build a fairer
15:43and more humane future for all.
15:46Thank you very much.
15:47I wish to thank the President
15:59of the Republic of Panama.
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