TT’s permanent representative to the UN Dennis Francis said he would be focusing on four priorities during the 78th session of the UN General Assembly. He made the statement during his first address to the assembly following his swearing-in as president on Tuesday.
Francis said his four watchwords for the 78th session would be peace, prosperity, progress and sustainability. He called on the delegates present to engage in a true spirit of multilateralism as they took part in the assembly.
He said the intertwined challenges of climate, conflict and poverty continue to make peace more elusive, with sharp political divides bringing the world to a dangerous new era of nuclear uncertainty.
“Countries are being forced to navigate a narrow strategic space to drive change for their societies. This is especially true for small-island developing states (SIDS), middle-income countries, and countries in the global South, struggling to meet their unique needs among the evolving risks.”
Speaking on the prosperity watchword, Francis said the poorest people in the world bore the steepest cost of violence, and encouraged the assembly to find tailored solutions to the challenges of countries suffering conflict and post-conflict situations.
“The General Assembly must lend its weight to enhancing financing, technology, debt sustainability and capacity building in places where development is in deficit, and where assistance is most needed. I urge member states to take advantage of key opportunities to scale up investments and expand financing for development.”
He said several key upcoming conferences, including the UN Climate Change Conference (COP28), the fourth International Conference on SIDS, and the third UN Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries, would help ignite transformation across critical work streams.
“Throughout the 78th session, I have committed to prioritising the needs of countries in special situations, in particular the least developed countries. We can no longer tolerate unjust financial systems that keep countries trapped in vicious cycles of debt and deprivation.”
Francis said the UN had a full toolkit containing all the elements needed to bolster progress on the sustainable development goals. He said those tools had not yet been deployed to their fullest potential, and the upcoming SDG summit would set the tone for the agenda of the meeting and the next seven years.
[caption id="attachment_1033946" align="alignnone" width="768"] TT's permanent representative to the UN Dennis Francis addresses the UN General Assembly after being sworn in as President on Tuesday - Foreign and Caricom Affairs Ministry[/caption]
“We will have the opportunity to come together on the three major health processes that have been ongoing: the fight against tuberculosis, pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response, and universal health coverage. The covid19 pandemic has taught us that global solidarity and co-operation remain imperative if collectively we are to build resilient health systems and improve the
