Trinidadian diplomat Dennis Francis said on Thursday that ending the war in Ukraine, promoting climate action and ramping up efforts to achieve the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) topped the agenda of the High-Level Week of the UN General Assembly Debate.
In his first press conference in post, Francis, the General Assembly president, briefed journalists on highlights from the 78th General Debate of Heads of State of Government from the 193 countries that comprise the UN, which concluded earlier this week.
The UN said it marked the first time the gathering has been fully in-person since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020.
Francis said 189 leaders spoke from the rostrum, “an impressive increase indeed over recent years,” and that 21 were women, or one less than the previous year.
The Assembly President convened the second annual platform of women leaders at the outset of the High-Level Week, which ran from Sept. 19-26.
The UN said focus was on the role of women in achieving the SDGs, “which aim to deliver a more just, equitable and greener world by 2030.”
“These leaders showcased why it is so important to recognize and elevate the talents and perspectives of half of humanity in tackling today’s challenges,” Francis said.
The UN said the general debate was marked by calls for resolving conflicts in Africa, the Middle East and Ukraine.
“I was unequivocal when speaking to the membership that we need peace, Ukraine needs peace, and that this war must stop, must end,” Francis said.
He added that the call for stronger climate action also resonated across the General Assembly Hall, in his meetings with leaders, and at two high-level meetings on climate mobility and sea level rise.
Meanwhile, the UN said SDG Summit and resulting political declaration marked the start of a new phase of accelerated progress to achieve the 17 goals by their deadline.
Other high-level meetings focused on Financing for Development and health issues, with leaders approving the first-ever UN political declaration on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response, the UN said.
It said governments also reaffirmed the right to universal health coverage, set targets to stamp out tuberculosis by the end of the decade, and underlined the need for “serious action” to eliminate nuclear weapons, which Francis called “a moral duty of our time”.
Francis also answered journalists’ questions on other issues of global concern raised during the general debate, such as reform of the UN Security Council, whose five permanent members – China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States – possess right of veto, allowing them to block any resolution or decision.
The UN noted that, at a Security Council meeting held during the High-Level Week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy suggested that the General Assembly should be given the power to override vetoes.
But Francis said the Security Council was designed for a world that no longer exists and that reform is not a simple task.
“We do need to rethink the structure of the Security Council, so that it more aptly represents current realities of global politics,” he said. “That is going to be a process that will continue to engage the house for some time.”
When asked if he was convinced world leaders will take the action required to achieve the SDGs by 2030, the General Assembly President turned the spotlight on the media and their important role in society.
“These commitments were made in public in front of you guys, who influence public opinion,” he said. “How will you react if you detect over time that commitments made have not in fact been honored?”
While expressing hope that the pledges will become reality, he remarked that “at the end of the day, the proof of the pudding, as they say, is in the eating.”
