Shun unilateral action, embrace multilateralism, Namibian President urges at UN Assembly

“Democracy might have its flaws, but it is by far the best system that enables key values of the United Nations, necessary for sustained inclusive development,” Hage Geingob, the President of Namibia told the General Assembly annual general debate.

The Namibian leader outlined emerging and existing challenges, which continue to hamper efforts towards socio-economic progress and underscored his country’s full commitment to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development – the global development framework, adopted by UN Member States in 2015.

“As a matter of fact, Namibia has integrated all 17 [Sustainable Development] Goals and their targets in our National Development Plans,” he announced, noting also, the parallels between the 2030 Agenda and the African Union’s Agenda 2063 ‘The Africa We Want’.

The President also highlighted the importance of the UN Technology Bank, established this past June, for its support to countries like Namibia which are at the forefront of seasonal natural disasters such as droughts and floods.

President Geingob also noted the importance of empowering young people and for utilizing their potential for the good of the global community. In that context, he also said technological advances present humanity with many opportunities and the youth are best placed to bring them to reality.

“The onus is on us to understand how these technologies can create opportunities for our youth to become drivers of economic growth and industrial development,” he said, noting also the importance of gender equality and women’s empowerment.

“The late Secretary General Kofi Annan was right when he said, ‘Gender equality is more than a goal in itself. It is a precondition for meeting the challenge of reducing poverty, promoting sustainable development and building good governance’,” said the Namibian leader.

“The world should do more to make gender equality a reality.”