President Ali urges for more resources, financing in maiden UN address

Sep 22, 2020 News

– says COVID-19 has exposed weaknesses of developing country

Head of State, Irfaan Ali, has urged the United Nations (UN) to push for more help to countries hard-hit by COVID-19.

President Irfaan Ali delivered his first UN address yesterday.

In his maiden address as president of Guyana and Chairman of the Group of 77 and China, Ali, on the occasion of the 75th Anniversary of the United Nations, also made it clear that the world must seek to strengthen solidarity to address the pandemic, commit to take forward the 2030 ‘Agenda’ and intensify the global partnerships.
It was five years ago that the UN adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals as a blueprint and compass to address poverty challenges facing the globe.
“We cannot fail in this aspiration. The 2030 ‘Agenda’ reflects the major poverty-environmental challenges facing the world’s population: depleted natural capital, climate vulnerability, gender inequality, rural-urban migration and growing resource demands – all of which disproportionately harm the livelihoods and well-being of the poor.”
Sadly, Ali said in his speech made virtually, the COVID-19 pandemic has undermined many of the development gains of the past decades.
“This pandemic has brought to the forefront the development bottlenecks faced by developing countries, ranging from insufficient financing, inadequate market access for goods and services, the expanding digital divide, restrictions in accessing needed pharmaceuticals and medical supplies and reductions in revenue from tourism and exports, among others. We value and welcome the support provided by the United Nations system in our response to the pandemic and in our efforts to pursue the 2030 ‘Agenda’.”
The President insisted that the imposition of unilateral coercive economic measures against developing countries is an impediment to economic and social development and to dialogue and understanding among countries.
“We must do everything we can to fulfill our obligations to the peoples of this world, in this Decade of Action and Delivery for Sustainable Development. All of our actions must, at all times, ensure democratic rule and adherence to the constitution and the rule of law.”
He said that the Group of 77 and China is calling for more resources and actions to be mobilized in a timely manner to accelerate implementation of the 2030 Agenda.
“We are committed to taking the actions needed for coordinated and comprehensive multilateral response to the development challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, including initiatives on Financing for Development in the Era of COVID-19 and beyond, aimed at producing a menu of policy options necessary to resolve the crisis and to ensure resilience.”
President Ali bemoaned the fact that 75 years after the bold step to establish the United Nations, it is disheartening to note that millions of the world’s people are still living in poverty.
“Eradicating this scourge remains the greatest global challenge and the first priority for our Group.
We must remind ourselves that poverty entails more than a lack of income or productive resources for sustainable livelihoods. It affects many aspects of life and it impedes the achievement of many of the Sustainable Development Goals.”
A newly independent Guyana in 1966 joined the United Nations and pledged to be active in making an honest contribution to advancing and realizing the ideals of the organization.
The Group of 77 (G-77) of the United Nations was established on 15 June, 1964 by 77 developing countries signatories of the “Joint Declaration of the Seventy-Seven Developing Countries” issued at the end of the first session of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) in Geneva.
It is the largest inter-governmental organization of developing countries in the United Nations, which provides the means for the countries of the South to articulate and promote their collective economic interests and enhance their joint negotiating capacity on all major international economic issues within the United Nations system, and promote South-South cooperation for development.
The UN is headquartered in New York. The global COVID-19 pandemic has forced leaders to attend the world leaders meeting via Zoom and other video-conferencing means.