UN General Assembly
2017

Peace is a human construct, the fruit of coexisting respectfully and meeting the basic needs of individuals, responsibly, all the while preserving the planet thatis our home. The most effective and appropriate way to resolve the problems that currently affect the Earth’s inhabitants is to ensure that human beings are always central to our decision-making. Such humanitarian policy has been the lodestar of my leadership of Panama for the past 39 months, as I have sought to build a nation where justice and equality prevail, without making innocent people pay the price or causing unnecessary conflict.