South African President Cyril Ramaphosa will depart at the weekend to lead a powerful delegation of Cabinet ministers as the country basks in the spotlight that comes with the day-long Nelson Mandela Peace Summit next Monday in which over 140 delegations have requested to speak.
The General Debate begins on Tuesday with Royalty, Presidents and Prime Ministers all expected under one roof.
The unveiling of a Mandela statue as a gift to the UN will serve as precursor to the adoption of a political declaration in the former President’s name, setting the stage for a week where the recently elected member of next year’s Security Council will be in high demand.
"The next week is action packed! The whole world – 193 – are joining us on ‘build the legacy’. So, the UN system has embraced this ‘build the legacy’. So, the president’s arriving over the weekend; the minister tonight; and other delegations. So, to pursue this build the legacy, the UN has agreed that we have a special event on the 24th of September dedicated to Nelson Mandela’s values, positions around the peace summit."
"And then we have another leg around the business because the President wants to mobilize resources for investment. So, we have a whole day of activities," says Ambassador Jerry Matjila.
The General Debate starts on September 25th with United States President Donald Trump among the first to speak, while side events include a focus on eradicating tuberculosis, controlling non-communicable diseases, non-proliferation and financing for the 2030 agenda.
"At a time of fragmentation and polarization, the world needs this Assembly to show the value of international cooperation. The Secretariat and I are committed to supporting you and strengthening the ways in which we work together. Madam President, I wish you and all member states every success as we strive to achieve our shared goals," says Secretary General Antonio Guterres.
The 73rd session of the Assembly, which officially opened on Tuesday, sees a woman lead the body for the first time in 12 years and only the fourth time in history.
Maria Fernanda Espinosa Garces from Ecuador says she is proud of this honour.
"I am proud and happy to become the first woman in Latin America and the Caribbean to preside over the General Assembly. In my work here, we intend to strengthen multilateralism. There is only, I would say, one way to solve the global problems. (That) is through a collective, cooperative approach. That’s what we need."
Security is at a premium for this event with UN, local, state and federal law enforcement officials tasked with keeping the VIPs and their battalions of aides safe as the Secretary General’s Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric explains.
"Right now, in advance of the plenary session, we have confirmation that 88 heads of state, 45 heads of government are to attend the session, which is up from 77 heads of state and 27 heads of government last year."
"Regarding other events, as of today, the department for General Assembly and Conference management has received 342 requests for meetings during the high level week compared to the same time last year. It received 343. And as of today, our colleagues have received a total of 741 requests for bilateral meetings amongst member states and this number will increase during next week."
One of the most important stakeholders in the success of this annual event are the people who will be housed in a massive tent on the North Lawn of the UN precinct the media up to 3000 print, radio, TV, online, state, public and private media houses from around the world, many who will likely view sleep as a luxury rather than a prerequisite in the days ahead.
--SABC---
