Mr. president. With a great sense of humility and respect, I address you and the excellencies here in this illustrious hall. More than eight decades ago, the founders of the United Nations understood that no peace built on brute force could stand the test of time. They opted instead for law, cooperation, and dialogue as pillars of a new international order. Today, this conviction is facing one of the toughest tests it has faced since the organization's foundation. The world stands in a period of deep rooted fragmentation. The world is deeply polarized. Armed conflicts are dragging on longer than before. Transnational organized crime is broadening its capacity to act. Its tentacles are growing longer. The effects of climate change are growing ever more intense. Development divides remain, and the technological transformation is posing unprecedented challenges to our institutions. At the same time, trust in multilateralism is waning precisely when we need it most. Standing before this landscape, Costa Rica reaffirms its belief that no state, no state can alone address challenges that are common to us all. Multilateralism is a prerequisite for the preservation of peace, to promote sustainable development and to protect human dignity. However, multilateralism will only preserve its dignity if it proves able to yield tangible results. Specific results for people for human beings. Costa Rica champions a United Nations which is more agile, more efficient, more transparent and more accountable to its member states. Our organization should establish priorities, do away with overlaps, make prudent use of its resources, and measure its results.

President, international peace and security are facing increasingly complex threats. Transnational organized crime, drug trafficking, trafficking in persons, weapons smuggling, asset laundering, cybercrime and illegal mining transcend national borders and undermine democratic stability, development and the rule of law. Costa Rica has first hand experience of these threats. Illegal mining, spearheaded by transnational criminal organizations on our border with Nicaragua, has wrought havoc on the environment and is producing risks to public health, the economy, and regional security. These organizations dispute territory. They fuel illegal economies. They wage attacks against democratic institutions and directly affect the rights and dignity of persons.

Artificial intelligence can boost cyber terrorism and other crimes that we cannot yet envisage. Costa Rica, according to Microsoft's system use data, is the Latin American country that makes greatest use of artificial intelligence. We use it 58% more than the world on average.

These threats require greater international cooperation, information exchange, stronger institutions, and a renewed commitment to international law and international humanitarian law. Mr. president, Costa Rica has demonstrated that environmental leadership is not measured by the size of a country's territory, but rather by how unstinting its commitment is to both present and future generations. For decades, we have championed a vision whereby economic prosperity and the protection of nature are not mutually exclusive goals. Rather, they complement each other. Climate change is dealing a particularly heavy blow to the most vulnerable among us. At the same time, biodiversity loss is picking up pace, as is ecosystem degradation, the pollution of our water resources and the pressures on our oceans. These are not isolated challenges.

They converge in one global crisis that is imperiling food security, public health and development opportunities for millions and millions of people. President, there can be no lasting security in a world where we see the erosion of democratic institutions, there can be no sustainable development when we violate human rights. Our response must have human beings at its heart. Costa Rica will continue championing the dignity and human rights of all persons, paying particular attention to the inclusion, autonomy, empowerment and effective participation of persons with disabilities, including of persons with autism.

Against this backdrop, we reiterate our grave concern at the situation in Nicaragua. The erosion of fundamental freedoms, the persecution of dissenting voices, the shutdown of civic space, religious persecution and reports of human rights violations continue to draw the country further and further away from democratic principles. As a neighboring nation that has welcomed hundreds and hundreds of thousands of Nicaraguan citizens, we remain staunchly committed to defending their rights and to the restoration of the rule of law in Nicaragua. We also note the situation in Cuba with concern, and we once again hear appeal for the full respect of human rights and fundamental freedoms. We also continue to closely follow the situation in Venezuela as it unfolds. We harbor the hope that dialogue will prevail along with the respect for the people's will, the restoration of democratic institutions, and the provision of care and services to particularly vulnerable individuals.

President, 81 years after the adoption of the charter, the best way to defend the United Nations is to defend its ability to discharge its mandates. We need a U.N. which is more effective, transparent and agile, able to prevent conflicts, forge consensus even in times of deeply rooted polarization. We need a UN able to offer tangible responses to the challenges of the 21st century. For this reason, Costa Rica has presented the candidacy of Miss Rebeca Grynspan to the position of Secretary general of the United Nations. She is a Latin American woman with a wealth of political, economic experience and experience in the multilateral arena. She has a proven track record of leadership. She knows the United Nations from the inside and from outside, and she understands that knowing an institution intimately and serving it also involves having the courage to reform it. Her candidacy is rooted in a simple but powerful idea. Defending the United Nations means and requires having the courage to reform it. Today, we need a leader able to unite the membership, strengthen the organization, and renew trust in international cooperation. We need a UN that does what it is called upon to do in its founding charter, that is, maintain international peace and security, ensure respect for human rights and advance development. Costa Rica firmly believes that the next secretary general must be a Latin American woman.

More than that, it must be Rebeca Grynspan. Costa Rica abolished its army more than seven decades ago. We did that because we believed that international law could offer greater security than weapons. I wish to repeat that Costa Rica abolished its army more than seven decades ago, because it believed that international law could offer greater security than weapons.

We will continue to build bridges, crafting consensus and defending the conviction that was the very life force behind this organization. That is, that dialogue will be more powerful than belligerence. Law will last longer than brute force and cooperation is the only way that we can achieve genuine, lasting peace. The future of the United Nations will not depend solely on the strength of its charter.

Rather, it will depend upon our collective courage to implement and uphold that charter. To conclude, President, Excellencies one and all, Costa Rica wishes peace, health and blessings to each and every one of you, and we extend to you brotherly greetings. That is you, the Costa Rican people. Thank you.