As a member of the South African delegation to the 77th session of the UN General Assembly, Minister in the Presidency Mondli Gungubele will leave today, September 19, 2022, for a working visit to the United States of America (UNGA). Dr Naledi Pandor, minister of international relations and cooperation, is in charge of the mission from South Africa.
The 77th session of the General Assembly of the United Nations (UNGA77) will take place from September 20–26, 2022, at the UN headquarters in New York City, with the theme “A watershed moment: Unlocking revolutionary solutions to interlocking challenges.”
The UNGA’s high-level and side meetings will spend a significant amount of time discussing issues related to development, particularly those related to health, education, and the broader implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Before the start of the 77th UN General Assembly’s General Debate on Tuesday, September 20, 2022, Minister Gungubele will take part in the Third Sustainable Development Goals Moment 2022: High-Level Meeting on Monday, September 19.
The annual SDG Moment aims to overview development, highlight member states’ initiatives, and advance the changes required to realise the 2030 Agenda. The political statement, endorsed during the first SDG Summit in 2019, gave the Secretary-General the authority to organise the meeting as part of each high-level UNGA week from 2020 to 2030.
In addition, Minister Gungubele will be present for the inaugural remarks made by Ms Angie Motshekga, the minister of primary education, at the Transformation Education Summit.
On September 21, 2022, Minister Gungubele will attend the Ministerial Plenary Meeting of the Twelfth Global Counter Terrorism Forum (GCTF) as Minister of State Security (MM12).
On September 22, 2011, the Global Counter-Terrorism Forum (GCTF) was established in New York as an informal forum to discuss the significant counterterrorism issues that the globe is currently confronting. The GCTF, which consists of 29 nations (including South Africa), aspires to contribute practically to addressing counterterrorism concerns by getting involved at the practitioner and technical expert level.
Implementing the GCTF’s efforts at the national and regional levels will be a crucial topic of discussion at the MM12 meeting. It will also review the GCTF’s activities and successes, discuss its priorities, and showcase upcoming projects.
During the High-Level Meeting to mark the 30th Anniversary of the Adoption of the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious, and Linguistic Minorities on Wednesday, Minister Gungubele will also provide the nation’s statement.
The High-Level Meeting will evaluate how the proclamation has been implemented while also pointing out any deficiencies. This is especially important because it has been recognised that minorities worldwide are currently dealing with increased obstacles to promoting and preserving their rights and different types of discrimination, such as hate speech and violence.
South Africa will have the chance to draw attention to issues of relevance on the local, regional, and international levels through its participation in the UNGA’s many events. A strategic opportunity to advance our national and international policy goals, as outlined in Chapter 7 of the NDP, Positioning South Africa in the World, is South Africa’s participation in the General Debate of the UNGA77.
Analysis by: Advocacy Unified Network
