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PRESIDENT Donald Ramotar yesterday attended the opening of the general debate of the 67th Session of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly in New York, at which UN Secretary General Ban-ki-moon spoke passionately about his new initiative, Education First. The Secretary-General has identified President Donald Ramotar among the selected world leaders to review the global education system.
“Tomorrow I will launch a new initiative – Education First. On Thursday, we will announce major additional support for the Scaling Up Nutrition Movement. And over the past two years, the 260 partners in our Every Woman Every Child initiative have disbursed $10 billion in new money. We are proving, on the ground, that well constructed partnerships can, and are, delivering results that none of us can deliver alone,” the Secretary General said.
He noted that the deadline for the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) is little more than three years away, and urged that every effort be made to ensure that poverty is eradicated.
“We must intensify our efforts to eradicate extreme poverty. The economic crisis cannot be an excuse to default on your commitments to the basics that all people need. Even if we achieve the MDGs, there is still a long way to go. The Rio+20 Conference has pointed the way, including towards a set of sustainable development goals. These new goals and the post-2015 development agenda will guide our work for years to come. The MDGs sparked a remarkable global mobilisation. These new frameworks must do the same – speaking to, and inspiring people across the world,” Mr. Ban said.
“People want progress and solutions today. They want ideas, your leadership and concrete hope for the future. Our duty is to respond to these frustrations and yearnings,” Mr Ban told the 193-member UN General Assembly.
The Secretary General pointed to the need for greater attention on food security and nutritional resilience and called for scaling up of agricultural investments. “For millions of people, frequent shocks are the new norm. Food prices are increasingly volatile, provoking public anxiety, panic buying and civil disturbance. We need to bolster safety nets. We must ramp up investments in sustainable agriculture – particularly for smallholder farmers.”
He stated that, together, all nations can avoid the food crises witnessed in recent years and achieve the UN’s goal of zero hunger.
Mr Ban noted that action on climate change remains a major piece of unfinished business and urged leaders to make good on their December 2011 promise.
“Member States agreed to reach a legally binding agreement by 2015. Now, you must make good on this promise. Time is running out on our ability to limit the rise in global temperature to two degrees centigrade. Changing course will not be easy. But to see this as only a burden misses the bigger picture. Sustainability and the green economy offer compelling opportunities to promote jobs, growth, innovation and long-term stability. The future we want can be ours, if we act now. Just as there can be no peace without development, there can be no development without peace,” he added.
Meanwhile, US President Barack Obama, in his address, called for peace in the Middle East as he condemned the violence there, including the killing of US Ambassador Chris Stevens in Benghazi, Libya. Stevens and three other Americans were killed two weeks ago.
“Today, we must affirm that our future will be determined by people like Chris Stevens, and not by his killers. Today, we must declare that this violence and intolerance has no place among our United Nations,” President Obama said.
President Ramotar, battling a busy schedule in New York, Monday evening attended a reception hosted by President Obama; and early Tuesday, along with First Lady Deolatchmee Ramotar, attended another event hosted by the Secretary General.
Later yesterday, the Guyanese Head of State met with the Director General of the International Organisation on Migration (IOM) He is scheduled to address the UN General Assembly tomorrow.
“Tomorrow I will launch a new initiative – Education First. On Thursday, we will announce major additional support for the Scaling Up Nutrition Movement. And over the past two years, the 260 partners in our Every Woman Every Child initiative have disbursed $10 billion in new money. We are proving, on the ground, that well constructed partnerships can, and are, delivering results that none of us can deliver alone,” the Secretary General said.
He noted that the deadline for the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) is little more than three years away, and urged that every effort be made to ensure that poverty is eradicated.
“We must intensify our efforts to eradicate extreme poverty. The economic crisis cannot be an excuse to default on your commitments to the basics that all people need. Even if we achieve the MDGs, there is still a long way to go. The Rio+20 Conference has pointed the way, including towards a set of sustainable development goals. These new goals and the post-2015 development agenda will guide our work for years to come. The MDGs sparked a remarkable global mobilisation. These new frameworks must do the same – speaking to, and inspiring people across the world,” Mr. Ban said.“People want progress and solutions today. They want ideas, your leadership and concrete hope for the future. Our duty is to respond to these frustrations and yearnings,” Mr Ban told the 193-member UN General Assembly.
The Secretary General pointed to the need for greater attention on food security and nutritional resilience and called for scaling up of agricultural investments. “For millions of people, frequent shocks are the new norm. Food prices are increasingly volatile, provoking public anxiety, panic buying and civil disturbance. We need to bolster safety nets. We must ramp up investments in sustainable agriculture – particularly for smallholder farmers.”
He stated that, together, all nations can avoid the food crises witnessed in recent years and achieve the UN’s goal of zero hunger.
Mr Ban noted that action on climate change remains a major piece of unfinished business and urged leaders to make good on their December 2011 promise.
“Member States agreed to reach a legally binding agreement by 2015. Now, you must make good on this promise. Time is running out on our ability to limit the rise in global temperature to two degrees centigrade. Changing course will not be easy. But to see this as only a burden misses the bigger picture. Sustainability and the green economy offer compelling opportunities to promote jobs, growth, innovation and long-term stability. The future we want can be ours, if we act now. Just as there can be no peace without development, there can be no development without peace,” he added.
Meanwhile, US President Barack Obama, in his address, called for peace in the Middle East as he condemned the violence there, including the killing of US Ambassador Chris Stevens in Benghazi, Libya. Stevens and three other Americans were killed two weeks ago.
“Today, we must affirm that our future will be determined by people like Chris Stevens, and not by his killers. Today, we must declare that this violence and intolerance has no place among our United Nations,” President Obama said.
President Ramotar, battling a busy schedule in New York, Monday evening attended a reception hosted by President Obama; and early Tuesday, along with First Lady Deolatchmee Ramotar, attended another event hosted by the Secretary General.
Later yesterday, the Guyanese Head of State met with the Director General of the International Organisation on Migration (IOM) He is scheduled to address the UN General Assembly tomorrow.
