President Carlos Alvarado urged his counterparts in their countries to drive lower arms spending and allocate more resources to fight poverty and improve actions against climate change.
This Tuesday, in his first speech to the United Nations General Assembly, Alvarado told the world leaders that the effects of climate change, inequality, poverty, and in many cases violence push migratory flows suffered by millions of people around the world and that represent a challenge for the international community.
Less spending on weapons or accumulation, and more investment in the fight against poverty, inequality and climate change is the smartest thing the world could do today. Once again, let’s get ahead of this in history,”
Alvarado said.
In his message he also referred to the need for world economies to rethink the future of work and the conceptualization of work and learning.
The world must not lacerate its cohesion, and it is imperative to close the gap between the excluded and those included in this world. Managing technological change to favor decent work, and closing technological and gender gaps, will be key to getting ahead of history and preserving the democratic and social fabric. A global initiative of inclusion and digital literacy, as well as inclusion without further ado, would be the smartest thing we can do as humanity,”
said Alvarado.
In his speech, the Costa Rican ruler also called for peaceful exits to the crises in Nicaragua, Venezuela and Haiti and to end the economic blockade on Cuba.
He also urged to strengthen inclusion, gender equality, economic and political empowerment of women and the fight against all forms of discrimination, with emphasis on racial, religious or sexual preference.