Cyril Ramaphosa arrives in New York to attend the 78th session of the UN General Assembly

Member States of the United Nations are actively participating in this week's annual General Debate of the UN General Assembly, scheduled to run from 18 September to 26 September 2023.

Ramaphosa will deliver South Africa's statement to the General Assembly on Tuesday, 19 September 2023. This presentation will be preceded by a series of high-level meetings, as reported by the official website of the South African government.

These engagements encompass summits focusing on various critical topics, such as the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health, Sustainable Development Goals, the High-Level Dialogue on Financing for Development, as well as Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness, and Response, and the Climate Ambition Summit, all of which will be hosted by the UN Secretary-General.

Furthermore, President Ramaphosa will lead discussions at the Presidential Roundtable, which will be hosted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the US-Africa Business Centre. Additionally, his agenda includes several bilateral meetings held on the sidelines of the UNGA.

UNGA78 is being convened under the banner of "rebuilding trust and reigniting global solidarity: Accelerating action on the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development towards peace, prosperity, progress, and sustainability for all." 

This theme was established by the new President of the UN General Assembly, Ambassador Dennis Francis of Trinidad and Tobago.

South Africa's involvement in the United Nations is motivated by its policy objectives in the realm of international relations. These objectives encompass:

- rallying support for South Africa's domestic objectives outlined in the National Development Plan (NDP), which includes addressing inequality, unemployment, and poverty eradication;

- advocating for the African Agenda and contributing to Africa's sustainable development by championing Africa's priorities within the African Union (AU) Agenda 2063;

- influencing the reform of the global multilateral framework and advancing the Southern Agenda through the North-South dialogue platform.

The ministerial delegation comprises various members, including Dr. Naledi Pandor, the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation; Ebrahim Patel, the Minister of Trade, Industry, and Competition; Barbara Creecy, the Minister of Environment, Forestry, and Fisheries; Dr. Joe Phaahla, the Minister of Health; Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, the Minister in the Presidency; and Maropene Ramokgopha, the Minister in the Presidency for Planning, Monitoring, and Evaluation.

Photo: Flickr