Dina Ercilia Boluarte Zegarra, President of Peru, underlined that totalitarianism is renewing itself and remains a serious global threat.  This “cynical narrative” is reinforced by intervention in the internal affairs of countries “supporting and spreading falsehoods to destroy democracy and eliminate freedom”.  All ideologies of hate — class, racial, religious, nationalist, ethnic and gender, among others — are causes of the worst crimes in human history. “Ideologies of hatred build narratives as absolute truths that instrumentalize people and nations.”  Peru rejects the two principal narratives of hate in the world — class and religious hatred — which are the root causes of wars and inhumane violence.  She said the UN represents a historic milestone of the twentieth century, but in this century “we must be more vigilant” and uphold the duty to prevent the world from plunging into new genocides and violence.

Highlighting global challenges such as invasions, wars, international criminal networks, drug trafficking, illegal mining and slavery, she said these are times “that recall the darkest chapters of our modern history”.  Her country “is convinced that the world does not need a less UN, but more and a better UN”, a UN that is in tune with the times in which ideologies of hatred that continue to cause so much damage to humanity “have taken refuge in lies, in misinformation, and have penetrated democratic societies”.  As a founding member, Peru is committed to an open multilateral system based on international law and the principles of the Charter. She urged Member States to fulfil their duty to help find solutions to common problems, as her country is striving to do.  Interconnectedness among societies and economies means that crises can only be resolved through international cooperation.

Reforms must restore the representativeness and effectiveness of the UN, she continued.  Otherwise, the international community risks losing one of its most precious instruments for world stability.  Peru supports the UN80 Initiative and emphasizes the need to refocus the Organization on its fundamental functions, bringing it closer to people’s needs while making it more efficient.  The initiative should strengthen multilateralism and enable the UN to be better prepared for achieving its essential goals.  For these reforms to bear fruit, they must be complemented by a transformation in UN governance.  She said her administration, at home, is working to strengthen security and improve human capital, as well as enhance health and education, modernize infrastructure, stop corruption and guarantee free and impartial elections.  Peru is facing attacks against its democratic institutions and the rule of law, including from transnational organized terrorist crime that destroys the social fabric.  It also contends with climate change, which is destroying its Amazon rainforest.

But, she added, these problems are global, not solely national. “This is why we need the United Nations to once again be a forum for dialogue and cooperation.”  She called for the next Secretary-General to come from Latin America, given the region’s commitment to the Charter and for better representation.  The General Assembly must reflect a reaffirmation of Member States’ commitment to collective action that revitalizes the UN as a tool for peace, global unity and development.  She urged nations to “stand firm in the truth” and oppose narratives that try to conceal it, pervert it or openly lie in order to hide agendas that do not correspond to the times.  “For this reason, it is essential that we strengthen truth against narratives that are based on hatred, the repeated lie that seeks to impose itself and only leads to destruction,” she concluded.