Lima, April 6, 2005.- Ambassador Oswaldo de Rivero, Permanent Representative of Peru to the United Nations, made a presentation this morning in New York, on behalf of the five Andean Community Member Countries, with regard to the report of UN Secretary General Kofi Annan entitled "In larger freedom: towards development, security and human rights for all.”

This is the first time the CAN took the floor at a United Nations General Assembly session to speak out about the reform of the organization and the proposals put forward for that purpose in the cited report.

The Andean Community started off by expressing its willingness to firmly support the strengthening of the United Nations in order to increase its efficiency and effectiveness in promoting the development and safety of all and respect for international law. It also maintained that the new concept of international collective security should address both new and old threats, “above all the fight against poverty and social exclusion.”

It also pointed out that the decisions that are adopted in the evaluation of compliance with the Millennium Declaration targets and the United Nations reform “should lead to balanced results that address the interests of all Member States” and, for that reason, proposed that they should not be adopted as a “package.”

The CAN also expressed its strong backing for multilateralism and its concern over the lack of attention being given to countries which, although “middle income,” show high poverty rates. It requested that urgent attention be given to a series of problems faced by these countries, such as external debt, poverty, recurring economic crises, and instability.

Ambassador De Rivero also stated, on behalf of the CAN, that the review process of the Millennium Declaration and the United Nations reform should contribute toward overcoming the inequitable elements of the international trade system by eliminating subsidies imposed and tariff and para-tariff barriers raised by developed countries “that keep us from building up our national productive capacities.”

To conclude, the Andean countries considered that a long-term development strategy should aim at creating wealth by promoting the existence of a favorable international environment for development.

It should be added here that the United Nations General Assembly, with its adoption of Resolution 52/6 of November 1997, gave the Andean Community observer status, authorizing it to participate in the sessions and efforts of that body.

The presentation made by Ambassador De Rivero, in representation of the Andean Community, is positive proof that joint positions can be coordinated in the framework of the Andean Common Foreign Policy, whose guidelines were approved in 1999 through Decision 458, making it possible to strengthen the profile and influence of the CAN member countries on the dynamic international stage.