The former Cameroonian prime minister took over the presidency of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly on Tuesday, calling on the world’s divided nations to come together and act to address global challenges, from climate change to poverty, conflict and armed violence.
Philemon Yang told the 193-member world body that there were doubts about the ability of nations to join forces to tackle these and other pressing issues. But he added: “We must demonstrate that international cooperation remains the most effective tool at our disposal to address the deep and borderless problems we face . “
Mr Yang, a former diplomat who served as prime minister of his West African country from 2009 to 2019, said the cornerstone of his one-year presidency “will be built on the principles of unity in diversity” . He added that peace and security would continue to be “of paramount importance” during his presidency.
“I will therefore urge the Assembly to intensify its determination to prioritize the resolution of conflicts, including the intractable conflicts in the Gaza Strip, Haiti and Ukraine, as well as to find lasting solutions to the situation in the Great Lakes region and elsewhere in Africa ,” Mr. Yang said.
Outgoing General Assembly President Dennis Francis has urged the United Nations, which was created from the ashes of World War II , to live up to its mandate of maintaining international peace and security.
“It is no exaggeration to say that the scale of man-made human suffering that we are witnessing around the world is simply staggering ,” said the former diplomat and ambassador of Trinidad and Tobago , referring to Gaza and other conflicts.
But Francis also warned that millions of people today live in abject poverty and despair, and that “on our current trajectory, millions more will face poverty and hunger by 2030. “
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also stressed the need for nations to work together.
He said the 78th session of the General Assembly, which ended Tuesday morning, had been “a tumultuous year” marked by persistent poverty, inequality, injustice, division, violence and conflict, and had also been the hottest year on record.
“But this session also ends at a time of growing hope and inspiration about what we can achieve if we work together ,” the UN chief said.
Opening the 79th session of the Assembly on Tuesday afternoon, Mr. Guterres told diplomats: “Step by step, solution by solution, we can rebuild trust and faith in each other, and in what we can achieve through collaboration and solidarity.”
Mr. Yang will chair the next gathering of world leaders at the General Assembly, beginning with the Future Summit on 22-23 September, convened by the Secretary-General to spur multilateral action on global issues and reform global institutions founded after World War II, including the United Nations.
Immediately after the summit, world leaders will hold their annual meeting from September 24 to 30, with public speeches at the assembly and many private meetings where world affairs are often discussed.