UNGA President Abdulla Shahid vows to pursue '5 rays of hope'; discusses climate change

President of the 76th session of the high-level UN General Assembly Abdulla Shahid addressed the gathering. During his speech, he warned the world leaders that they are at a turning point and can choose a path of isolationism and mutual destruction or a sustainable and resilient path.

Shahid said that he intends to pursue 'five rays of hope' that will direct the efforts of the 193-member General Assembly this year.

Shahid opening remarks at the 76th UNGA; choose isolationism or pave a new path

In his address to the opening of the 76th General Debate said that challenges of climate change and the pandemic kept people awake at night and fueled collective anxiety and worry that things are getting worse. Shahid stressed that fragility, conflict, COVID-19 and climate change are the challenges confronting the world right now. He said,

"The world wants peace of mind. The people want solutions to the challenges we collectively face. And challenges are not in short supply."

Shahid added, "There are moments in time that are turning points. This is one such moment. We can choose a path of isolationism, of mutual destruction, of a slow retreat of the human experiment, or we can forge together a new path, a sustainable and resilient path that changes the future of our planet."

While noting the plenty of challenges confronting the world, Shahid said that there is a reason to pause for a moment and celebrate what has been achieved in the past two years.

On Vaccines

Shahid mentioned that humanity had developed multiple viable vaccines for COVID- 19 in record time. He remarked on the fact that scientists and researchers from dozens of countries collaborated on a remarkable feat of human ingenuity. Shahid said, "Even though the largest vaccine roll-out in the history of humankind currently underway is certainly not without flaws, it is monumental in its undertaking".

He added, "On COVID-19, we have the vaccine, the know-how, the capacity for distribution, we lack only the political support."

He reiterated his support for the need to ensure vaccine equity and vaccination, saying he intends to host a high-level meeting on the issue, to address the practical obstacles that have emerged around supply, storage and distribution.

On COVID

The Maldives Foreign Minister Shahid, who took the oath of office as the President of the 76th session of the General Assembly last week, said that people are not wrong when they worry that world leaders are not doing enough to solve the problems facing the world. On the long-term recovery from COVID-19, Shahid said that they will push for a strong recovery.

Climate change 

Shahid also underlined the need to return the world's attention to the climate crisis, which had taken a backseat due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He stated,

"On climate change, we have incredible innovations in renewable energy, in adaptive technologies, and in transitioning away from fossil fuels. We lack, again, only the political support and the related financing." "We are no longer on the wrong path. We are on the edge of a cliff."

The recent report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is being described as a code red for humanity. 

Events concerning climate change

Shahid said that he will host a series of events on climate action. The 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow will help in building ambition and ensure that action is very much on the agenda, he said.

"We must bridge the capacities needed to actually deliver on climate promises. It is one thing to have innovative renewable technologies, it is an entirely different thing if a country or community cannot absorb that technology. I believe we can close this gap," Shahid added.

The Maldives Foreign Minister mentioned that another event will acknowledge other major environmental efforts underway on ocean, desertification and biodiversity, and will aim to address these interlocking issues.

On human rights

President of the 76th session of the high-level UNGA Abdulla Shahid stressed the fact that nations must uphold the principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights above everything, particularly during moments of conflict or strife, as recently seen, adding that he is determined to have a cross-cutting gender approach to his presidency, advocating for a build back better approach to COVID-19 that prioritises gender-sensitive policies and initiatives.

Final ray of hope - UN reform and revitalisation must continue.

Speaking on the UN reform and revitalisation, Shahid mentioned that this was not about a balance of power, but was rather about efficiency.

"Every organ of the UN must be at its peak and must be able to deliver as it was intended. For the 7+ billion constituents around the world, this is what they see when they think of the United Nations iconic world leaders standing before a marble green backdrop debating, not whether to help, but how to help. Let us not let them down," Shahid said. 

With inputs from PTI

Image Credits - Twitter (Abdulla Shahid)