NICOLÁS MADURO MOROS, President of Venezuela, called for building a new world of peace through dialogue that respected the ideological, religious and political diversity of all peoples.  That world must be free of hegemonic empires, liberated from any attempts at economic and military domination, including from those who oppressed peoples for centuries with rapacious colonialism.  Noting that some States still attempted to oppress others, he called for an end to colonialism, issuing a rallying cry for a “multipolar, pluricentric world” to the peoples of the South in the Non-Aligned Movement doctrine.

Citing support and solidarity from dozens of countries at the United Nations in recent years, he denounced the merciless campaign against the country by elites governing the United States.  It was being carried out with the complicity of organizations in Europe and elsewhere, seeking to manipulate international bodies and laws to justify its criminal aggressions.  Further, that permanent systematic aggression was being waged through cruel oil sanctions, a fierce assault on the right to buy what the country needed and sell what it produced.  Vast oil and mining wealth had been targeted, with bank accounts and gold held in legal reserves at the Bank of England seized and billions of dollars in the United States and Europe frozen.  “This is financial, monetary and economic persecution,” he stated.

However, he noted that 2021 is a special one for his country, marking 200 years since the victory of the Battle of Carabobo for independence.  Venezuela was now progressing towards recovery and growth in science, innovation and technology, with its “free, rebellious people” unleashing strengths despite the hellish blockade, he said.  Such efforts were an example to all peoples that “yes we can” stand up to imperialist aggressions and prosper.  Demanding that all sanctions against Venezuela by the United States and European Union be lifted, he expressed support for and solidarity with Cuba and their own demand that all elements of that economic and trade embargo be lifted — a call, he noted, which has been supported by a majority of United Nations votes on 27 occasions.

He cited a visit by the United Nations Special Rapporteur on unilateral coercive measures and human rights earlier this year, whose report recommended sanctions be immediately lifted.  Noting recent progress towards inclusive dialogue for peace in country, he pointed to upcoming November elections, the twenty-ninth in 20 years.  There were also talks to bring back to the negotiation process even the most extreme elements of the opposition.  Those who attempted a coup d’état, foreign invasion and even his own assassination have been brought back into the political process, he pointed out.

Turning to climate change, he said the world required a practical, verifiable way to curb greenhouse‑gas emissions and warming seas, noting recent flooding even in New York.  The international community must follow the multilateral system of a new United Nations, he emphasized, highlighting a new world emerging in Africa, Asia, Latin America and Caribbean that must prevent some States from becoming the world’s policemen and judges.