President Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa
By Dickson Bandera
At a time when Zimbabwe’s Engagement and Re-engagement Policy has taken full swing, President Mnangagwa is in New York, USA for the 78th Ordinary Session of the United Nations General Assembly where he is expected to address the Assembly on Thursday 21Septermber.
More than 140 world leaders are gathered at the global conference to discuss pressing world issues, among them climate, sustainable development, health, debt, food security, the Israel-Palestine conflict and the Russia-Ukraine war.
While being party to the global issues discussions, president Mnangagwa and his delegation will take the opportunity to make diplomatic negotiations with leaders, diplomats and the business community to lure the much-needed investments, partnerships and associations into Zimbabwe.
Since assuming presidency in 2017, president Mnangagwa has championed a transformation agenda which has seen Zimbabwe engaging all nations to mend, strengthen or establish relationships, while creating a conducive investment environment.
This comes after years of isolation and wanning relations with western countries due to clashes on domestic and foreign policies.
The Mnangagwa administration has started on a fresh page and called for cooperation and collaboration with Zimbabwe for mutual benefit.
This year’s General Assembly is held under the theme “Rebuilding trust and reigniting global solidarity: Accelerating action on the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals towards peace, prosperity, progress and sustainability for all”.
On September 18-19, the president of the U.N. General Assembly will convene the 2023 SDG Summit, inviting heads of state to review the halting progress and widening gaps at the midpoint to 2030.
The Sustanable Development Goals Summit will be a centerpiece of UNGA high-level week, and renewed commitment to the goals is a key priority of Global South countries.
At the start of the General Debate on September 19, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres will present his annual report on the state of the world.
On September 20, the High-level Dialogue on Financing for Development will give the delegates an opportunity to discuss financial matters with regards to development.
The Climate Ambition Summit on September 20 is another much anticipated platform to discuss climate. The summit will be important to Africa, which contributes less to global warming and carbon emissions but being among those most affected by their adverse consequences, including climate change.
Member States will take turns to address the international community from the 19th to the 26th of September 2023.
Each member state will be allocated 15 to 20 minutes for the address.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will make his first in-person appearance at the General Assembly since Russia’s full-scale invasion of his country in February 2022.
