MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Paraguayan President warns UN about global rise in intolerance

Peña insisted on his country's support for Israel and Taiwan

Paraguayan President Santiago Peña briefed the 80th United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday, warning about the global rise of evil, radical ideologization, and intolerance. He also positioned Paraguay as a “medium power” willing to play a central role in strengthening multilateralism and finding global solutions.

 Peña expressed “enormous concern” over restrictions on fundamental rights, such as freedom of information and expression, in some Latin American countries, specifically denouncing the “alarming” situation in Venezuela with systematic human rights violations. He argued that the crisis in democracy must be solved with “more democracy,” tolerance, and dialogue, not “authoritarian fantoches.”

“We must reject [violence] without nuance, which is why I ask you to say, loud and clear, no to hatred, no to violence, no to authoritarianism. We must not underestimate the seriousness of what is happening. These are not isolated cases. They are patterns, and the situation has been worsening under the impassive gaze of governments and political movements. Polarization and extremism, previously revealed subtly in texts and speeches, are now materializing in acts of real violence,” the Paraguayan leader stressed.

Peña recalled two events that have shocked the world in recent times, the deaths of Colombian presidential candidate Miguel Uribe and US activist Charlie Kirk, as “two cowardly and incomprehensible political attacks,” also describing these events as the result of intolerance and hatred.

“The ghosts of violence, which we thought were a thing of the past for our brothers in Colombia, and we saw that a young dreamer, Charlie Kirk, was miserably taken from his wife and two children for a single sin: defending his convictions and values with great eloquence and courage,” Peña pointed out.

He also urged people to take a clear stance, saying, “This is no time for timidity, gentlemen: either we are on the right side, on the side of peace and reason, or we are on the side of violence and intolerance.”

The Colorado leader also mentioned a “crisis of belief in institutions,” with democracy under siege by both the left and the right.

Additionally, he underlined problems with global supply chains, which -he hinted- were caused by the People's Republic of China, without ever mentioning it by name. Peña spoke of “deceptive economic models” that come with “political authoritarianism, massive surveillance, and erosion of fundamental freedoms.”

He stressed that accepting investments that make critical infrastructure dependent on authoritarian regimes compromised both the economy and democracy. Paraguay is the only South American nation without direct diplomatic ties to Beijing.

Peña also noted that his country's foreign policy was based on shared values like the rule of law, individual liberties, a free-market economy, and the defense of the traditional family.

In addition, he reiterated Paraguay's support for Israel's “legitimate right to defend itself” and warned that antisemitism was still “alive and strong.”

He also demanded a seat for the Republic of China (Taiwan) in the UN, calling it a matter of “strict justice” and highlighting Paraguay's 67 years of diplomatic relations with Taipei based on shared democratic values, despite the potential economic cost.

Peña also called for a reform of the UN Security Council to make it more representative and effective. He specifically demanded the elimination of the veto power to grant the organization more legitimacy and make it a more effective protagonist in solving global challenges.