Doha, September 18 (QNA) – Emphasizing the belief of the State of Qatar in the United Nations’ role and its lofty mission for the international community as well as its stability and prosperity, and the preservation of its rights without discrimination or exception, HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani will chair the State of Qatar’s delegation in the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 78) in New York City in the United States of America.
HH the Amir will deliver a speech on Tuesday at the opening session of the high-level General Debate of the UNGA 78. His Highness’s speech is expected to address the constants of Qatari policy and the State’s stances towards the most prominent current Arab and international issues and files.
It is also expected that HH the Amir will renew in his speech the State of Qatar’s continuous commitment to working with the United Nations, providing support to it, and enhancing partnership with its various bodies to enable it to address common global challenges and achieve its desired goals.
HH the Amir’s participation in the new session of the international organization reflects HH’s keenness to highlight the bright image of the State of Qatar and its positions before international forums. It also underscores Qatar’s commitment to engaging in all international activities, dialogues, and meetings, which primarily aims to consult and exchange opinions and viewpoints towards issues and files on the regional and international arenas.
Since assuming the reins of power of the State of Qatar on June 25, 2013, HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani has been keen to attend the annual sessions of the General Assembly, with the aim of affirming the commitment of the State of Qatar to its international duties, and conveying the bright image of the State of Qatar, its people, and its civilized and humanitarian role towards various global issues and challenges and towards brotherly and friendly peoples.
HH the Amir’s speeches at the UN have always shown that Qatar will remain, as it has always done, a sanctuary for the oppressed, and that Qatar will continue its humanitarian and relief efforts, as well as its mediation efforts to find fair solutions in conflict areas, and that ensuring regional and international peace and security remains a top priority in the State of Qatar’s foreign policy.
As has been the custom since 1955 at the 10th session of the General Assembly, Brazil will be the first to address the General Assembly, followed by the US as the host country of the UN Headquarters. Afterwards, other member states will deliver their speeches throughout the days of general debate.
The General Debate of the UNGA 78 will begin on Tuesday, Sep. 19 and continue until Sep. 25. This debate constitutes the most prominent events of each new session of the General Assembly and begins a week after the official opening ceremony. It is a global summit during which a large number of Heads of State and Government, or sometimes their deputies, meet on the UN Hall and ascend one after another the podium of the General Assembly Hall to address the world on an issue of their choice.
World leaders will gather to participate in the annual high-level general debate this year under the theme “Rebuilding trust and reigniting global solidarity.” During a week of high-level events, Heads of State and Government and Ministers will discuss solutions to interconnected global challenges to promote peace, security, and sustainable development.
The events of the high-level week include the 2023 Sustainable Development Goals Summit (2023 SDG Summit), which will be held on Sep. 18-19, 2023 to put the world back on right track towards a greener, cleaner, safer, and more just future for all.
The summit is a broad global action plan that focuses on achieving 17 development goals, including eliminating extreme poverty and hunger, promoting climate action and quality education.
It will mark the beginning of a new phase of progress towards achieving the slowed SDGs. It is expected that a forward-looking political declaration will be adopted that reaffirms commitment to the key promise of the 2030 Agenda, which is to leave no one behind. From this standpoint, participants seek over two days to reach consensus on best way forward.
The events include the Climate Ambition Summit 2023 which will be held on Sep. 20, where world leaders aim to turn words into actions. This event is a crucial political pillar in addressing the worsening climate crisis. It focuses on three acceleration tracks: ambition, credibility, and implementation. The big issue is how best to move the world from emissions-producing fossil fuels to green, clean power. In this context, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres emphasized “Now must be the time for ambition and action”.
Guterres welcomed what he referred to as the early movers and actors in the Climate Ambition Summit. He stated that the world is watching and the planet can’t wait. The high-level week’s events also include preparations for the Summit through a ministerial meeting scheduled for Sep. 21, in which participants will set the foundations for the Future Summit scheduled for September 2024.
The UN Secretary-General looks forward to this meeting to forge a new global consensus on readying the world for a future rife with risks but also opportunities. Ministers will discuss how the multilateral system can address emerging global risks and challenges, and offer tangible and ambitious proposals to enhance and transform the global system. It is expected that the member states will agree on a “Charter for the Future.”
Additionally, during this high-level week, a high-level dialogue on development financing will take place. Its aim is to provide political leadership and guidance on implementing the Addis Ababa Action Agenda of 2015, a framework by the UN to mobilize resources to achieve sustainable development goals. The United Nations General Assembly, during its 78 session, will hold three high-level meetings on health.
These meetings will provide world leaders with a historic opportunity to prioritize health in their political agenda by reaffirming their commitment to eliminate tuberculosis disease , providing comprehensive healthcare coverage, enhancing pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response. Knowing that out-of-pocket health spending affects more than a billion people, plunging hundreds of millions into extreme poverty.
This situation has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The General Assembly meetings present an opportunity for world leaders to consider the best way to move on, starting from preparedness for future pandemics to building sustainable economies, considering the comprehensive goal of improving people’s health and the planet.
Addressing the opening of the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly on September 5, the UN Secretary-General emphasized that the international community is facing a world filled with profound challenges and divisions that formed a test to the UN.
In a speech read out by his deputy Amina Mohammed, he affirmed that the current moment is one for working towards peace, human rights, saving sustainable development goals, and addressing the existential threat of climate change.
The UN Secretary General added this is a moment for action to create productive jobs and expand economic opportunity, especially for women and young people, and to ensure that rapid evolutions in technology like artificial intelligence are a help, and not a harm to humanity, calling for forging the solutions that all people expect and making progress towards a better and a more peaceful and prosperous future, and a healthier planet.
In a similar speech, the President of the 78th Session of the General Assembly Dennis Francis outlined four essential priorities to effectively address the new session’s global challenges, noting that these priorities are peace, prosperity, progress and sustainability for all.
Francis added that interconnected challenges such as climate, conflict, and poverty continue to make peace more elusive, emphasizing the General Assembly’s special responsibility to ensure that efforts are based on a robust, inclusive, and legitimate multiparty system to enhance participation in decision-making.
He praised the initiative aimed at holding the permanent Security Council members accountable for their use of veto, describing it as “an important step towards greater transparency and accountability that must be interpreted within the ambit of system-wide UN reform.
Regarding the prosperity priority, Francis emphasized the importance of devising solutions tailored specifically to the challenges faced by countries going through conflict and post-conflict situations.
He stated that the General Assembly must throw its weight behind enhancing finance, technology, debt sustainability, and capacity building in places grappling with development deficits and urgent need for assistance. He called for an accelerated shift to clean energy and enhancing adaptation support by making climate financing more available, accessible, and affordable.
He affirmed that it is no longer tolerable to accept unfair financial systems that keep countries trapped in debt and deprivation. The President of the 78th Session of the General Assembly stressed that the SDG Summit scheduled this month is a critical opportunity to address this and breathe new life into the entire Sustainable Development Goals process.
On sustainability, Francis emphasized that the only way to ensure humanity and the planet’s survival is by building sustainable societies in harmony with each other and with nature. With a global population set to reach 9.5 billion by 2050, it is imperative to transition to a mode of producing, consuming and living that is in equilibrium with all people, species and ecosystems, he said. (QNA)
