24 quotes found
"If Chile was the cradle of neoliberalism, it will also be its grave. Do not be afraid of the youth changing this country... We are a generation that emerged in public life demanding our rights be respected as rights and not treated like consumer goods or a business... We no longer will permit that the poor keep paying the price of Chile's inequality."
"We are going to give priority to the Pacific Alliance in the future. I have already spoken with several of the presidents, in particular with [Andrés] Manuel López Obrador of Mexico, with President [[W: Iván Duque|[Iván] Duque]] of Colombia, and we have also been in contact with the Peruvian Foreign Ministry."
"Since I was a child I've been hearing the word de-centralization, and I agree that one of the impediments for Chile's development is the excessive centralization we have, and it is the job, a new president to address firmly the issue....Let me tell you that patronage, cronyism and quotas are definitively over."
"Ten years ago, Gabriel Boric was a 25 year-old student protester... leading tens of thousands of young people through the streets of Santiago. As head of a major student union, he shook Chile’s establishment by leading rallies that brought reforms to Chile’s privatized education system. Today... Boric is within striking distance of Chile’s presidency. Chile’s Dec. 19 election, where Boric holds a narrow lead, is the most high-stakes moment yet in a tumultuous two year national debate over the market-centered economic model established by military dictator Augusto Pinochet in the 1980s. With deregulated business and privatized public services and natural resources, the system helped make Chile a haven for foreign investors and one of the richest countries in South America. But it has also generated the highest rate of inequality in the OECD group of developed nations and untenable living costs for poorer Chileans, with six in ten households earning too little to cover monthly expenses..."
"Starting in October 2019, hundreds of thousands of people participated in months of anti-government protests—a so-called “social explosion” — which culminated in a national vote in 2020 to rewrite the Pinochet-era constitution. If elected, Boric, who has spent the past seven years as a congressman arguing for the ideals expressed in the social explosion, promises to kill off the old model for good. A Boric - led leftwing coalition would hike taxes on major industries, ramp up public spending to overhaul services, and scrap the private pension system that has underpinned Chile’s capital markets. “If Chile was the cradle of neoliberalism, it will also be its grave,” he told a rally in July after winning the primary for leftist bloc Approve Dignity."
"At last. The specter of Pinochet is removed from Chile... Congratulations to fellow Progressive International member Gabriel Boric... The hard work to redistribute wealth in Chile begins now."
"Socialist Gabriel Boric's victory in Chile's high-stakes presidential election Sunday was hailed by progressives worldwide as an inspiring example of how a democratic groundswell can overcome deeply entrenched forces of reaction and chart a path toward a more just, equal, and sustainable future. Riding a massive wave of anger at Chile's neoliberal political establishment and the economic inequities it has perpetuated... Boric, who ran on the promise to undo the lingering vestiges of Pinochet's regime, will become the youngest president in Chile's history when he takes office in March.... Boric, who has vowed to cancel student debt, impose higher taxes on the wealthy, oppose environmentally destructive mining initiatives, and scrap Chile's private pension system—another leftover from the Pinochet regime."
"The leftist leader...said that when he takes office he would develop an agenda based on the prospects for collaboration in accordance with the "tremendous challenges" facing the region and wider world. Among them, he highlighted the coronavirus pandemic,... as well as the climate crisis, migratory crises, economic cooperation and the strengthening of democracy."
"Two recent presidential elections in Latin America resulted in important milestones: Xiomara Castro is poised to become the first female president of Honduras, while Gabriel Boric, 35, will be Chile’s youngest president. Beyond those historic occasions, there’s another remarkable dimension to the two victories: They represent a huge win for the Latin American left — both in the richest and in one of the poorest countries in the region... [Boric] The president-elect has vowed to fight Chile’s growing and notorious income inequality. He wants to reform Chile’s free-market economic model and favors expanding social protections for the poor, raising taxes on the wealthy, canceling student debt, and overhauling the nation’s private pension system to replace it with one run by the state."
"in 2022, Gabriel Boric appointed Maya Alejandra Fernandez Allende head of the military that deposed her grandfather and drove her family into exile. It is one of history's most perfect about-faces. But to tell it this way is to tell it as the story of high-profile individuals, whereas it should be told as the story of movements, of public participation, of grassroots organizing, of people showing up, often in the face of threats of bodily harm or even death, to stand on principle. They stood up as did las Madres de Plaza de Mayo in Argentina when it seemed impossible to topple the regime; they stood up when the risks were huge; they stood up to sing the Ode to Joy where political prisoners could hear their voices; they stood up to orchestrate voting in the 1988 plebescite that established an open election in 1990; they stood up to get out the vote that year; they kept standing up, showing up, speaking up. These countless, anonymous heroes were the midwives who birthed a new Chile."
"On Monday the Chilean Elections Qualifying Tribunal, Tricel, officially proclaimed Gabriel Boric as president-elect of Chile, following his victory in the runoff last 19 December. The ceremony was held at the Tricel offices in Santiago but under the most strict security and sanitary measures given the surge in Covid 19 cases. One representative per media was allowed in and the rest had to follow the ceremony via streaming. President elect Boric will be taking the oath of office next March 11, at the Chilean congress in Valparaíso. Before returning to Santiago, Boric spent Christmas and New Year with his family at his hometown of Punta Arenas, where despite his refusal, the City Municipal Council decided to name him “Favorite Son” of the extreme south Magallanes Region capital."
"Whoever he is (that wins the presidential election) should never forget that he is going to be the president of all Chileans, not just of those who supported him."
"I met President Piñera several years ago. He always had a positive attitude towards Uruguay and me personally. As an example ... his support with the logistics offered for the arrival of vaccines during the (COVID-19) pandemic."
"There was a strange aftertaste to many of the calls for grand social reform in 2020. As the coronavirus crisis overtook us, the left wing on both sides of the Atlantic, at least that part that had been fired up Jeremy Corbyn and Bernie Sanders, was going down to defeat. The promise of a radicalized and reenergized left, organized around the idea of the Green New Deal, seemed to dissipate amidst the pandemic. It fell to governments mainly of the center and the right to meet the crisis. They were a strange assortment. Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil and Donald Trump in the United States experimented with denial. For them climate skepticism and virus skepticism went hand in hand. In Mexico, the notionally left-wing government of Andrés Manuel López Obrador also pursued a maverick path, refusing to take drastic action. Nationalist strongmen like Rodrigo Duterte in the Philippines, Narendra Modi in India, Vladimir Putin in Russia, and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Turkey did not deny the virus, but relied on their patriotic appeal and bullying tactics to see them through. It was the managerial centrist types who were under most pressure. Figures like Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer in the United States, or Sebastián Piñera in Chile, or Cyril Ramaphosa in South Africa, Emmanuel Macron, Angela Merkel, Ursula von der Leyen, and their ilk in Europe. They accepted the science. Denial was not an option. They were desperate to demonstrate that they were better than the 'populists.' To meet the crisis, very middle-of-the-road politicians ended up doing very radical things. Most of it was improvisation and compromise, but insofar as they managed to put a programmatic gloss on their responses—whether in the form of the EU's Next Generation program or Biden's Build Back Better program in 2020—it came from the repertoire of green modernization, sustainable development, and the Green New Deal."
"I come before the United Nations General Assembly as the first woman to be elected President of Chile. A country that has learned from its history. We Chileans lived through difficult times; the Assembly knows this. The learning curve was difficult, but fertile. From pain, hope was born. Major dissent gave way to major consensus. I come from a country where today the rule of law prevails, where the rights of persons are respected and promoted. A democracy that is experiencing economic growth and that in the past 16 years has helped millions of Chileans out of poverty. Chile is integrated with its neighbors and in the region looking at the world. My presence before this Assembly is symbolic of this Chile; the Chile that is unafraid to look back at the past and united in building its own future. We can say with pride that today, Chile is more free and more fair. As a society we have granted the basic dignity and respect that every citizen deserves."
"The world looks different from the far distant south, and this is the viewpoint that my country wishes to bring. A viewpoint that is optimistic about the opportunities of globalization, but cautious about its risks. We can and must steer the course of the planet. Humans cannot and must not avoid being the instrument of their own advancement. We wish to reaffirm our commitment to international law and institutions. Only through them shall we be able to build this fairer and more integrated world of which we dream, where large and small coexist in peace and harmony."
"Nothing justifies the violation of human rights. Chile rejects impunity. I assure you all of our commitment and enthusiasm in the initiatives designed to promote human rights and democracy. We therefore welcome the launching of the United Nations Democracy Fund and the creation of the Human Rights Council. We especially value the adoption by consensus of the International Convention on the Protection of All Persons from Forced Disappearance. The promotion of human rights does not contradict the principle of non-intervention in the internal affairs of States. Chile has been and will be on the front line of the diplomatic trenches in the defense of human rights."
"Over these eight weeks, international humanitarian law has not merely been ignored but seemingly tossed aside. … What we saw in Government-controlled Kramatorsk on 8 April when cluster sub-munitions hit the railway station, killing 60 civilians and injuring 111 others, is emblematic of the failure to adhere to the principle of distinction, the prohibition of indiscriminate attacks and the principle of precaution enshrined in international humanitarian law."
"We know the actual numbers are going to be much higher as the horrors inflicted in areas of intense fighting, such as Mariupol, come to light. … The scale of summary executions of civilians in areas previously occupied by Russian forces are also emerging. The preservation of evidence and decent treatment of mortal remains must be ensured, as well as psychological and other relief for victims and their relatives."
"Almost every resident in Bucha our colleagues spoke to told us about the death of a relative, a neighbour or even a stranger. We know much more needs to be done to uncover what happened there and we also know Bucha is not an isolated incident."
"Our work to date has detailed a horror story of violations perpetrated against civilians. First and foremost, this senseless war must stop. But as the fighting shows no sign of abating, it is vital that all parties to the conflict give clear instructions to their combatants to strictly respect international humanitarian law and international human rights law. … This means distinguishing between civilian and military objects. It means not targeting or deliberately killing civilians. It means not committing sexual violence. People, including prisoners of war, must not be tortured. Civilians, prisoners and others hors de combat must be treated humanely."
"Those in command of armed forces must make it clear to their fighters that anyone found to have been involved in such violations will be prosecuted and held accountable. … I call on the parties to the conflict to investigate all violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law allegedly committed by their nationals, armed forces and affiliated armed groups, in line with their obligations under international law."
"Women's lack of power. That's why the key task is to empower them. When women have power, when their voices are heard through political participation, when they are actors in the economic and social processes in their countries, that is when we can strengthen their potential as workers with rights, as small or medium-sized entrepreneurs with access to credit or land, in the case of farmers, and with more women in responsible posts in the private sector. "https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/headlines/society/20110324STO16433/bachelet-democracy-is-not-only-voting-it-is-inclusion-pluralism-diversity Michelle Bachelet speaking about empowering women."
"We focus on girls' education,” she said, “because it sets them on a path to greater economic opportunities and participation in their societies."