Santiago Peña Palacios, President of Paraguay, recalled the “cowardly and incomprehensible” political assassinations of Colombian presidential pre-candidate Miguel Uribe and “young dreamer” Charlie Kirk, calling on the international community to awaken from its state of complacency.  Democracy is in jeopardy.  Condemning political violence, he declared, “Let us say loudly and clearly:  no to hatred, no to violence, no to authoritarianism.” Democracy is under siege from the right and the left, he warned, noting that the ensuing crisis of trust is fertile ground for both authoritarianism and its “perverse twin”, populism.

In that vein, he voiced concern over restrictions in fundamental rights in Venezuela, where “the electoral process in July 2024 trampled the will of the Venezuelan people”.  Seven million have fled the country in the largest migration crisis in the history of the Western Hemisphere.  In Nicaragua, the persecution of political opponents is serious to the point of the expulsion of some religious orders including the Catholic Church — “something that was once unthinkable in Latin America”.  With its history of the longest-running military regime on the continent, Paraguay will not remain silent while its neighbours suffer the same oppression.

A crisis of democracy cannot be resolved through authoritarianism.  “We must resist these alluring imposters,” he stressed.  The world needs more democracy.  The presence of more than 120 armed conflicts throughout the world, however, shows how serious the failure of its institutions can be.  Related political fragmentation threatens to collapse global supply chains, he said, cautioning against trade partnerships that place efficiency above security.  Paraguay calls for deeper integration — not only on trade but on shared values of rule of law, the free market, the defence of the traditional family and the right to life from conception.

“Diplomatic prudence cannot become silent complicity,” he continued.  The time has come to take clear positions.  Israel has the right to defend itself, and he rejected attempts to equate the responsibility of democratically elected Israeli leaders to that of Hamas terrorist leaders.  Highlighting Paraguay’s “67 years of diplomatic relations with the Republic of China-Taiwan”, he voiced concern over growing tensions, stressing that “Taiwan deserves a place in this forum”.  Given its principled positions, Paraguay is a “genuine moral authority” that commits to the objectives of the UN80 reforms, especially in the Security Council.  The elimination of the veto will give greater legitimacy to the UN, he said.