65th UNGA: Freedom and Equality

Every September, the UN General Assembly holds its annual session. Over the years, it has become a procession or ritual of speeches by world leaders that try to address the problems and challenges that face all nations and peoples of the world.

If there is one thing we can be sure of, when people talk, at least they're not fighting for the meantime. And that is an achievement in itself.

But the one thing that really stood out in the speeches was that given by US President Barack Obama. He challenged the assembly that by next year when he and all the other leaders come together again, among the states represented would be a new member, the State of Palestine.

Indeed, the Middle East peace process has simply dragged on for decades already. It is high time that a fundamental deliverable, so to speak, is actually realized. That finally, the aspirations of the Palestinian people for self-determination can be concretized in a State of Palestine.

On this point, we recall the oft-repeated principle that it is only when all peoples in all the corners of the globe are free that we all can be truly free.

Moving further, freedom goes hand in hand with equality. Thus, Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights reminds us that: "All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood."

Here we commend our good president PNoy on his statement to the UNGA on September 24 where he stressed all the nations' common humanity that should help realize the basic principle of Article 1 above.

"All of us here, representing our respective nations, are stewards entrusted with the well-being of our respective peoples. We are also called to be responsible and responsive members of the community of nations. Clearly, we are already aware that the problem of one poses a problem for all. Any solution, then, depends on us recognizing that each of our nations does not exist in a vacuum, but rather, in an increasingly interdependent global milieu."

"The central revelation here is that for humanity to progress, all nations must progress as one. The quest for universal human dignity should not be defined by geographical, racial, or cultural boundaries, nor should it be set back by our desires to move our own nations forward. Global progress means equitable progress.

"The industrialized nations of the world can look with pride on the living standards their peoples enjoy. But, as one of my distinguished predecessors once said, 'Those who have less in life should have more in law.' This basic principle of social justice is also the most basic humanitarian challenge of our times. The wealth of nations must become an instrument to move the world further along the straight and righteous path of compassion and communal responsibility."