NEW YORK CITY (By Eugene Scott, Arizona Republic) November 25, 2005 — The United Nations has much to do in terms of addressing issues in Latin American countries, several ambassadors said, but the organization has created significant world change and has the potential to do more.

That was the message from ambassadors from five Latin American countries who spoke recently to about 100 students in New York City.

"We have so many efforts and successes that sometimes they're overlooked," said Eduardo Sevilla Somoza, Nicaragua's representative to the United Nations.

Jorge Skiner-Klee Arenales, Guatemala's representative to the United Nations, agreed.

"It's easier to see where fault lies than where progress is made," Arenales said.

First Secretary Ignacio Llanos, Chile's representative to the United Nations, discussed the need for the United Nations to address specific issues to ensure that democracy prevails.

"Security, development and human rights aren't independent," Llanos said. "They are the basis for any change."

The ambassadors also spoke about the need to make issues unique to certain countries into more global issues.

The inability to unite the nations in many ways shows that the United Nations has yet to fulfill its mission, they said.

"In many ways, we're still in diapers, and we haven't even gotten to the toddler stage," Somoza said.

"It can't be a club of all the 'haves.' It must give a voice to the small nations."

Other ambassadors shared their desire to make smaller nations bigger players on the U.N. Human Rights Council.

"We want the Human Rights Council to be effective and not politicized. Every member should be able sit upon the council," said Ewald Wensley Limon, Suriname's representative to the United Nations.

The ambassadors said doing this would allow the world's complex problems to be solved by many countries, not just a few.

"The U.N. is a reflection of its members. And it is where all of humanity's problems are shared," Arenales said.

Despite the desire for the organization to address more of their respective countries' issues, the ambassadors said they remain optimistic about the power of the United Nations. "If we don't believe, we might as well close shop, go home and see what happens," Arenales said.