Gobierno de Reconciliación y Unidad Nacional
Unida Nicaragua Triunfa
XXI POLITICAL COUNCIL OF ALBA-TCP
March 1, 2021
Caracas Venezuela
(Virtual)
MESSAGE FROM NICARAGUA
Doctor Paul Oquist
Minister-Private Secretary
for National Policies
Office of The President of the Republic
Dear colleagues from the Political Council:
Receive fraternal and revolutionary greetings from President Comandante Daniel Ortega Saavedra and Comrade Rosario Murillo Zambrana Vice President. They send their best wishes for the success of this Council at such a critical time in human history.
In 2021, the greatest risks to humanity are the COVID-19 Pandemic; out-of-control climate change and climactic losses and damages that we are suffering; furthermore, the attempt by the Empire to impose full-spectrum and hegemonic dominance.
PANDEMIC COVID-19
The impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Latin America and the Caribbean has been devastating, especially for the poor. ECLAC informs, GDP per capita in Latin America and the Caribbean has decreased by -9.9% in 2020, which represents losing a decade of growth. The number of poor has risen to 231 million, a 15-year setback, and the number of extreme poor rose to 96 million, the same level of 1990, 30 years ago. 2.7 million businesses closed, and regional informal labor reached 51%. Most countries had not prioritized investment in public health.
Three countries that did prioritize and invest in public health are: Cuba, the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and Nicaragua. In the case of Nicaragua, President Daniel Ortega restored the people's constitutional right to universal and free health care and education on 11 January 2007. Since 2007, 18 new public hospitals have been built, for a total of 77.33 more than the next Central American country. The number of physicians grew from 2,715 to 6,045, an increase of 122%, health workers from 22,083 to 36,649 and health expenditure increased six-fold. Nicaragua in 2020 was much better prepared to face the Pandemic than if it had happened in 2006. At the same time, it was prepared for the Pandemic a month before the first case.
The result of the above is that Nicaragua has had 2.6 deaths for every 100,000 inhabitants compared to an average of between 27.8 and 133.1 in the other countries of the Central American isthmus. Economically, ECLAC indicates that Nicaragua was the country with the highest export growth in Latin America and the Caribbean in 2020, with an increase of +8%, when the region as a whole decreased by -13%. Of course, the increase in the value of gold exports by 33% contributed, but it was agricultural products that surprised the most, including beans, which rose by +50.7% and morolique cheese, by +28.8%. Nicaraguan peasants were producing food for our population and for neighboring countries during the 2020 pandemic.
CLIMATE CHANGE AND LOSSES AND DAMAGES
Since 1988 when parts per million of greenhouse gases exceeded 350, as scientists predicted, we have entered a level of greater losses and damages. The consequences are visible today in Barbuda, Dominica, Abaco, Grand Bahamas and Saint Martin, the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. In Central America, Hurricane Eta, Category 4, entered the Northern Caribbean Coast of Nicaragua on 3 November and two weeks later, Hurricane IOTA, Category 5 pummeled the same Coast. In Nicaragua, 21 precious lives were lost, and we suffered losses and damages of approximately US$738 million, which is equivalent to 6.8% of GDP.
Faced with the reality of increasing losses and damages. Nicaragua will present three submissions at the COP-26 Climate Change Summit in Glasgow, Scotland, UK, in November, 2021:
1. Declare Central America and the Caribbean as a highly vulnerable area to Climate Change.
2. Raise "Losses and Damages" to the same level as "Mitigation and Adaptation" in the Framework Convention on Climate Change, enabling financing through the finance mechanism, including the Green Climate Fund and GEF.
3. CLIMATE JUSTICE WITH REPARATIONS: A fund in order for those who have caused climate change to compensate those who suffer the consequences without having contributed significantly.
It is absolutely necessary to reduce emissions by -45% by 2030 and reach a society of net zero emissions by 2050, in order to be able to curb the rise in global average temperature by 1.5ºC during this century. For this a GREAT GREEN ALLIANCE is necessary. On the one hand, the 20 countries that are responsible for 80% of total world emissions have to achieve the reductions. The 100 lowest-emitting countries that represent 3% of total global emissions do not have the carbon to reduce and resolve. Nicaragua currently emits only 0.02% of world emissions. On the other hand, the countries of the Southern world have to contribute with the massive reforestation of tropical forests to capture CO2, especially in degraded lands and at the same time, reduce deforestation. These are our common but differentiated responsibilities within the GREAT GREEN ALLIANCE.
HEGEMONIC FULL SPECTRUM DOMINATION
During this century, the American Empire and its accomplices have waged wars against Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Syria, and Yemen. There have been millions of victims among the dead, disabled, injured, orphans and refugees. Drone murders have also been carried out in several Middle Eastern countries, including the extrajudicial assassination of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani while visiting Iraq.
In this century, the following coup d’état or attempted coups have occurred in Latin America and the Caribbean: Venezuela (2002), Haiti (2004), Honduras (2009), Ecuador (2010), Paraguay (2012), Brazil (2016), Nicaragua (2018), Bolivia (2019). All of these coups or attempted coups were against leftist or progressive governments, all without exception. These actions constitute a mega intervention in Latin American regional politics.
The United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Canada and most recently, Switzerland, have been imposing coercive, unilateral measures on other countries, among which are: Nicaragua, Venezuela and Cuba. The imposition of unilateral coercive measures on countries, institutions and individuals are completely illegal. Applying coercive measures in times of pandemic raises their illegality to the level of a crime against humanity. The only legal sanctions are those of the United Nations Security Council.
As an aggravating factor, the United States claims extraterritoriality in the application of its laws and administrative measures, yet it rejects the application of international law within its own country. It also applies coercive measures to third parties who are criminalized for not complying with its extraterritorial, illegal measures. This is possible due to the banking dictatorship that the United States exercises over the SWIFT system of international bank transfers.
A total of 39 countries with more than 2 billion inhabitants have been victims of the arbitrary illegalities of unilateral coercive measures as a form of imperialist aggression.
If the International Community is committed to Human Rights, Multilateralism, the Rule of Law, and the Equality of all States, it must demand the immediate end of the coercive measures, that in times of the Pandemic, constitute crimes against humanity.