Heads of State seek solutions to global strife, misery
LUDZIDZINI – Eswatini has joined hands with the whole world in finding solutions to the effects of COVID-19 and conflicts.
This was revealed by His Majesty King Mswati III upon his return from the United Nations General Assembly, which was held in New York in the United States of America (USA).
The King said the world leaders felt duty-bound to concentrate in finding solutions as no country was spared from the effects of COVID-19 and the ongoing conflicts across the globe.
He stated that the United Nations (UN) observed that COVID-19 and conflicts had hugely affected economies, resulting in food shortage.
Experts
Worth noting is that experts have predicted that many countries will experience a huge food shortage and economic collapse as a result of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. It should be noted that the ongoing war between the two countries has affected the export of oil, gas as well as food, as they are among the largest producers in the world. The Russia-Ukraine war was among the urgent issues discussed by world leaders at this year’s annual General Assembly.
“As a country, we were afforded an opportunity to present our efforts in the fight against COVID-19, which saw many emaSwati losing their jobs due to businesses closure,” he said.
The King further stated that Eswatini was working towards economic recovery programme in order to alleviate poverty.
The Monarch stated that the country got a positive response from the UN as it worked towards the economic recovery programme.
“The United Nations has come up with a new strategy in helping developing countries including Eswatini. The United Nations coordinated business seminars, where businesspeople were afforded an opportunity to showcase their business from different sectors such as agro-industry, information communication and technology, power stations, manufacturing among other businesses.
As a country, we presented a few cases which have already attracted the world’s financial support,” he said.
The King shared that the world leaders noted the hardships in running the tourism industry during the course of COVID-19. He said there was a need for Eswatini to consider the big game parks for coordinating tourism-related businesses. The King stated that the tourism industry could play a huge role in sustaining the economy.
“We also had a chance to visit Mexico and we learnt that they had a huge budget for tourism. We also learnt that Mexicans were trained on tourism,” he said.
The King stated that while in Mexico, they learnt that the country’s tourism industry was hugely affected by COVID-19 due to travel restrictions.
He stated that even then Mexico held lockdowns differently to ensure that the tourism industry was not destroyed completely.
The Monarch also mentioned that Mexico prioritised on preservation of the environment, a programme initiated by the tourism sector.
Tourism
He said the country had learnt to preserve the environment as it made money through tourism. He added that many countries had shown interest in Eswatini.
As a result, he said various nations had pledged financial assistance towards the construction and improvement of hotels and airports.
On another note, the King sent a reminder that COVID-19 was not yet over.
He expressed the need to exercise caution despite the easing of regulations. The King warned the nation to exercise caution until the disease was declared over by the World Health Organisation.