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P.T. Baca: Address to Summit 2022, Session II
Written by Hon. Patricia Terrazas Baca, Member of the Mexican Chamber of Deputies
Thursday, August 11, 2022
Address to Summit 2022 and Leadership Conference,
Seoul, Korea, August 11-15, 2022
I want to thank UPF for having invited me. It is a very high-level event with world-wide participation.
I would like to speak to you about peace in my country of Mexico and how I understand the situation in Korea. We cannot speak of peace in the family, home, society or world when every day there are crimes and violence. Nor can we speak of peace when fathers and mothers are crying because of the absence of their children, either because they disappeared, or they had to leave their country one way or another. Lastly, we cannot speak of peace when there’s violence against women and children. When children, women and the vulnerable are being assaulted, there is no peace.
It is in that context that I understand the situation of the Korean peninsula. South Korea is fighting every day for peace for its people, families and the nation. This is a very, very important topic.
Step one is to recognize the problem. Accurate information is needed in order to make informed decisions. In other words, we must acknowledge the reality so that we can begin to improve it.
In the case of Mexico, there are serious problems of violence, drugs and corruption. What can we do? First of all, as I said, we must have the awareness and the consciousness that there is a problem. As a parliamentarian, I must acknowledge the role that we play. We are responsible to protect and improve the quality of life of all citizens, not only those in our own nations but the entire world. It is our duty to initiate and support public programs that respect all people and have the goal to enhance the well-being of the populace, regardless of ideology, commercial gain, or for the sake of the next election.
Parliamentarians and elected officials have a duty and obligation to the next generation. This includes making opportunities for young people in sports, the arts, to protect the environment, to provide for public safety, health care, as well as for economic development and employment.
We were not prepared for the COVID pandemic and the ensuing crises, nor are we equipped to deal effectively with mental health problems. Every day we find more and more people who feel lost and are suffering with a mental health disorder. It is impacting their daily lives. We must work to understand and manage this disease.
We must be aware of the personal hardships that our citizens are dealing with. In my district I found a man who had been abandoned by his family. He was living on what neighbors would give him. I think about a grandmother taking care of five grandchildren alone. She cannot work because she has these grandchildren from different parents and she has to take care of them.
Another very important topic is the right to life. I believe that God is our Creator and that God gave me life. God designed us to live in families, and therefore, the family is the divine building block and model for peace in the society.
My last topic concerns the prevalence of corruption. It has invaded our society at all levels, so much so that we consider it is normal. Yet at the same time, we know that corruption hurts our society, it drains public funds which should be used for education and for the well-being of our citizens, but most seriously, it destroys trust in our government and robs our young people of hope and a future based on strong values and morals.
Thank you for this wonderful conference. It gives me the strength to go back to my beloved Mexico.
Thank you for listening to me. God bless you all.
To go to the World Summit 2022 Schedule page, click here.