Minister Pandor in New York for UN General Assembly
NEW York’s biggest spectacle of the year takes place this week as heads of state and dignitaries arrive to attend the opening of the UN General Assembly (Unga). Minister of International Relations and Co-operation, Naledi Pandor, arrived in New York on Monday, and President Cyril Ramaphosa will deliver a pre-recorded video statement at the General Debate tomorrow.
Pandor participated in round-table discussions on the 20th anniversary of the World Conference against Racism and the adoption of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action yesterday. President Ramaphosa also delivered a pre-recorded video statement at the high-level meeting.
The meeting took place under the theme “Reparations, racial justice and equality for people of African descent”.
South Africa and Portugal cofacilitated and led consultations on the political declaration. As an outcome of the meeting, member states adopted a political declaration aimed at mobilising political will at the national, regional, and international levels for the full and effective implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action.
Pandor will attend several highlevel meetings and side events taking place on the margins of Unga.
The minister is expected to co-chair the Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban
Treaty Conference tomorrow, and will deliver a pre-recorded statement at the high-level meeting on the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons next week.
“Attending Unga76 is of priority to South Africa. We have consistently called for the strengthening of multilateralism as the only system that would allow the world to collaborate and deliver fair outcomes for all states in the wake of the pandemic. A socio-economic response is required with additional assistance to developing countries,” Pandor has said.
This year’s UN General Assembly takes place under the theme, “Building resilience through hope – to recover from Covid-19, rebuild sustainably, respond to the needs of the planet, respect the rights of people, and revitalise the United Nations”.
Due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, the general debate and highlevel meetings will be held in a hybrid in-person and virtual format.
Issues expected to be dominant at this year’s Unga include recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic, peace and security matters, implementation of the 2030 Agenda on the Sustainable Development Goals, climate change, and the upcoming Conference on Climate Change to be held in Glasgow in November.