President Irfaan Ali yesterday urged the United Nations to strengthen solidarity to address the COVID-19 pandemic and commit to achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
“This pandemic has brought to the forefront the development bottlenecks faced by developing countries, ranging from insufficient financing, inadequate market access for goods and services, the expanding digital divide, restrictions in accessing needed pharmaceuticals and medical supplies and reductions in revenue from tourism and exports, among others,” he told the Assembly on behalf of the G-77 and China.
He expressed gratitude to the multilateral organisation for its support of the grouping’s efforts to manage COVID-19 and achieve the 2030 Agenda but called for more resources and actions to be mobilized in a timely manner to accelerate implementation of the 2030 Agenda.
“We are committed to taking the actions needed for coordinated and comprehensive multilateral response to the development challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, including initiatives on Financing for Development in the Era of COVID-19 and beyond, aimed at producing a menu of policy options necessary to resolve the crisis and to ensure resilience,” he stressed.
Ali repeatedly noted that the multilateral structure of the UN allows each member an equal voice in global action and stressed that the imposition of unilateral coercive economic measures against developing countries is an impediment to economic and social development as well as to dialogue and understanding among countries.
“We must do everything we can to fulfill our obligations to the peoples of this world, in this Decade of Action and Delivery for Sustainable Development. All of our actions must, at all times, ensure democratic rule and adherence to the constitution and the rule of law,” he stressed noting that Guyana is satisfied that the existence of the United Nations has been a distinctive and unrivalled force for good in our world.
“Its embrace of values and rights of every human being has conferred dignity on the distressed and downtrodden and, its promotion of respect for international law has been a compelling disincentive to unnecessary and unmitigated conflict that has nurtured the peaceful coexistence of states, including through the respect for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of all states,” Ali explained.
