UN General Assembly
2021

It is a distinct honour for me to address the General Assembly for the first time in my capacity as President of Ecuador. I am here, fully aware of the expectations that a new Government creates, not only for the citizens who elected me, but also among the nations of the world whose representatives I now address. That is for good reason. Ecuador’s current experience constitutes much more than just the start of a new Administration. We were elected on a promise of change and to create new opportunities, restore full democracy and join the rest of the world. That vision is markedly different from the one held by those who governed for the past 14 years. During that time, I am sure that members all heard statements by my predecessors, as well as those by other respectable Latin American leaders, in which they complained of asymmetries and so-called empires. They even used this podium to launch personal diatribes against the leaders of other countries.