On behalf of the Government and the people of Lesotho, I extend our most sincere congratulations to President Shahid on his election to preside over the General Assembly at its seventy-sixth session and wish him every success in the discharge of his duties. We are confident that his personal, diplomatic and leadership qualities will guide us through the session. My delegation assures him of our full support and cooperation. Let me also pay a well- deserved tribute and express our thanks and gratitude to his predecessor, His Excellency Volkan Bozkir. We thank him particularly for his statesmanship, sterling guidance and effective organization during the difficult times of the seventy-fifth session.
We are deeply indebted to Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for his continued dynamic leadership and commitment to our Organization and for his relentless efforts to achieve the Organization’s goals. We particularly commend him for his tireless efforts during an arduous time, when the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) reared its ugly head and upended our world. We also congratulate him on his reappointment for a second term and assure him of our utmost support.
The convening of the high-level week of the General Assembly is yet another opportunity for world leaders and policymakers to demonstrate their resolve and political will to further advance the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations through concerted multilateral efforts. It is also an opportune moment for United Nations system entities to demonstrate their continued commitment in support of national efforts.
Allow me to thank President Shahid for advancing a very befitting theme for this session of the General Assembly, namely, “Building resilience through hope to recover from COVID-19, rebuild sustainably, respond to the needs of the planet, respect the rights of people, and revitalize the United Nations”.
The United Nations was born 76 years ago, when the brutality of war impressed itself on all as far beyond human comprehension and tolerance. The Organization
became a source of hope, founded as it was on the inalienable, interlinked and mutually interdependent pillars of development, human rights and security. The resolve to form the United Nations was propelled by a determination to create a world of peace and prosperity.
In his address to the General Assembly on 28 January 2021, the Secretary-General described a world in danger and warned of the consequences of the failure to work together. He stated that “2020 was a ... year of death, disaster and despair” (A/75/PV.51, p. 2). He called for bold action to overcome the devastation in 2020 resulting from the global COVID-19 pandemic. It gives me great pleasure to pay a deserving tribute to the Secretary-General for galvanizing support and mainstreaming the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic in the work of the United Nations system. His leadership in spearheading the mobilization of resources through international partners in this war is commendable.
This session of the General Assembly comes at a critical time and a momentous conjuncture in human history; indeed, this is a time when circumstances compel us to reiterate our plea to the international community to adopt an expanded and comprehensive response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Such a response would complement the work of individual countries on concerted efforts to halt the continuing spread of the pandemic.
We recall the COVID-19 omnibus resolution entitled “Comprehensive and coordinated response to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic” (resolution 74/306), adopted by the General Assembly last year in September 2020, which underscored the need to tackle health inequities and inequalities within and among countries through political commitment, policies and international cooperation. The World Health Organization recently promulgated an unpleasant warning that unless nations act urgently to slow the spread of the coronavirus, the world could log another 100 million infections in the course of this year.
Apart from posing a significant threat to health, the pandemic is also a serious threat to development. It is disrupting the function of domestic economies, global travel, tourism and trade. Locking down our economies is no longer an option that many countries can exercise. We must therefore come together as the members of this body to guarantee simultaneous access to vaccines by all parties.
In that respect, my delegation fully supports the long-standing and yet-to-be-concluded proposal by South Africa and India for a temporary Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights waiver in the World Trade Organization and call on all Members of the United Nations to recognize that progress in vaccinating everyone means the protection of all people on Earth.
My delegation expresses sincere appreciation for all initiatives recently taken through the Coronavirus Disease Vaccine Global Access (COVAX) Facility to address the needs of developing countries, especially in the development, production and equitable access to COVID-19 tests, treatments and vaccines. I welcome the commitment made by President Biden yesterday to donate 500 million doses of vaccines to the rest of the world and call on others for continued solidarity and timely support.
Exactly six years ago, the General Assembly adopted a comprehensive set of universal and transformative Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and targets aimed at ending poverty, protecting the planet and ensuring that all people enjoy peace and prosperity by 2030. Now, with nearly nine years remaining, the prospects of the world reaching those forward-looking Goals remain on the distant horizon. What is even more worrisome is the Secretary-General’s report covering the period that ended in July, which reveals that by the beginning of the pandemic the world was already offtrack to meet the Sustainable Development Goals and their targets.
The situation has now been exacerbated by the devastating impacts of the pandemic on sustainable development, with the most vulnerable countries, particularly the landlocked least developed countries, such as Lesotho, being the hardest hit. Those countries, which expended their financial balance sheets on coping with the pandemic in the past two years, now require a financial stimulus to restart their post- COVID economies and to accelerate progress towards the full implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
As we head towards the Fifth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries, to be held in Doha next year, we remain hopeful as to the consensus adoption of an ambitious new programme of action that should properly focus on the least developed countries and, above all, that will geared towards
ensuring that the severely struggling are not left behind in achieving the SDGs.
Again, as we begin the decade of action and try to build back better, Lesotho remains steadfast in calling on the international community to significantly increase funding for sound health services, increased investment in physical infrastructure, scientific and technological development, and research and agricultural extension services in least developed countries. We believe that such bold steps would help us get back on the trajectory of realizing the full implementation of the SDGs in this tight remaining period.
With concern over climate change, creating a global coalition to achieve climate neutrality by 2050 should be high on the United Nations agenda ahead of the twenty-sixth session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, to be held in Glasgow later this year.
The recently published report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reveals that it is now certain that hot extremes have become more frequent and more intense across most regions of the world, while cold extremes have become less frequent and less severe, thereby confirming that human-induced climate change is the main driver of those aberrations. The report further asserts that some recent hot extremes observed over the past decade would have been extremely unlikely to occur without human influence on the climate system. This suggests that this greatest challenge of our time manifests through excessive rainfall, desertification, hurricanes, land degradation and so on, thus diminishing our capability to eradicate poverty and improve livelihoods.
It is equally important to note that biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation, just like climate change, are among the top threats facing humankind today. It is therefore clear that now more than ever there is a need to take urgent and bold global actions to combat climate change and its impacts on humankind. Similarly, the onus is on us as leaders of the world to ensure that our Mother Earth does not lose its biodiversity, as that poses a threat to food security and the livelihoods of people across the world.
To ensure conformity with the Paris Agreement on Climate Change protocols over some years now, the Kingdom of Lesotho has joined effort with the rest of the world to increase climate-change resilience and improve the well-being of the Basotho nation through mainstreaming climate change into our development programmes and implementing concrete measures for adaptation and climate risk reduction, mitigation and low-carbon development to achieve green growth.
Furthermore, several initiatives and programmes have been implemented by the Government of Lesotho to address the impacts of climate change. For instance, Lesotho submitted its nationally determined contributions report to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in June 2018, outlining the initiatives to be undertaken to reduce greenhouse gases and adapt to climate change.
In addition, some of the noteworthy initiatives are the integrated catchment management, the improvement of the early-warning system, the formulation of the national adaptation plan, and improving the adaptive capacity of vulnerable and food-insecure populations in the country. Again, Lesotho intends to unconditionally lower its net greenhouse-gas emissions by 10 per cent by 2030 and to further push for an additional 25 per cent greenhouse-gas emission reduction, provided that external support, including capacity-building, is made available to us to cover the full cost of implementing the adaptation and mitigation actions.
Guided by the principle of leaving no one behind, Lesotho continues to call on the international community and other regional and international organizations to support climate-change adaptation and mitigation efforts and strengthen resilience, particularly for vulnerable countries, thus bringing the attainment of the SDGs within reasonable reach.
It is the obligation of all Member States to promote and protect the rights of all. We are therefore pleased that this important factor has over the years remained on the agenda of every session of the General Assembly. The international human rights instruments provide a clear path and a legal framework for all States to fully advance the status of vulnerable groups in a quest to end inequalities in our communities. My own country, Lesotho, is a long-standing party to international human rights treaties such as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, to mention just a few.
It remains the responsibility of all Member States to pursue the common goal of ensuring the
effectiveness and enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms for all. It is, however, disturbing that in conflict-stricken regions, particularly in armed conflict, civilians still endure inhumane treatment that is in violation of the laws and regulations established to protect humankind. Lesotho condemns all forms of attacks on civilian populations and urges the parties involved in any form of conflict to cease aggressions and to engage in talks genuinely aimed at achieving a long-lasting solution and promoting human rights for all.
Trafficking in persons continues to be a chronic challenge affecting the globe. Member States are facing challenges on how to translate their international efforts to combat all forms of trafficking in persons into reality. Lesotho fully supports the 2021 Political Declaration on the implementation of the United Nations Global Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking in Persons and therefore calls upon all Member States and all stakeholders to accelerate the implementation of all guiding tools as contained in the outcome document.
This year, we celebrate the twentieth anniversary of the adoption of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action, which, together with the relevant outcome documents, provides an inclusive United Nations framework and a solid foundation to fight the scourge of racism and racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance. Lesotho acknowledges the progress achieved in other parts of the world to fight racism; however, it remains a major concern that that plague persists in all parts of the world and that a vast number of human beings continue to be its victims. Lesotho therefore urges all Member States to collectively promote and protect rights for all and restore the dignity of those peoples that have borne the worst brunt of the evils of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance.
The revitalization of the General Assembly merits our attention and should remain high on our agenda, especially at this time, when there is a dire need for solidarity and unwavering commitment to multilateralism and to the United Nations. Lesotho would therefore like to echo other Member States in calling for an inclusive United Nations system that encompasses the equal representation of all regions in all the major organs of the Organization. Strengthening the United Nations organs, particularly the Security Council and the Economic and Social Council, would also ensure that all the political and socioeconomic challenges that humankind is currently facing are tackled collectively in an efficient and effective manner, thus leaving no country behind.
The States Members of the Organization have increasingly yearned for its reform in order to make it more democratic and responsive to the needs of all nations, rich and poor, big and small, strong and weak. We should recall that the most recent reform of the United Nations was in 1963, some five decades ago. We are convinced that this is an opportune time to raise critical issues regarding the reform of this world body to enable it to meet the challenges and threats of the twenty-first century — a daunting task indeed.
We note with regret that some Member States have relegated to the back burner critical issues of development, giving priority instead to security issues. To move in unison, the international community should strive to advance the global development, human rights and security agendas simultaneously. Terrorism, the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction to non-State actors, the existence of nuclear weapons, and armed conflict top the list of global security issues. On that note, we commend the Secretary-General for convening the Second United Nations High-Level Conference of Heads of Counter-Terrorism Agencies of Member States in June this year, with the overarching theme “Countering and Preventing Terrorism in the Age of Transformative Technologies: Addressing the Challenges of the New Decade”. The Conference provided a significant and timely opportunity for participants to consider the practical implementation of the relevant aspects of the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy.
The Kingdom of Lesotho considers it the responsibility of the international community, with the United Nations playing the central role, to put in place effective measures aimed at preventing genocide, ethnic cleansing and the atrocities perpetrated against women and children caught up in armed conflict. Consequently, my delegation considers the enhanced role of the major organs of the United Nations, particularly the General Assembly, to be of paramount importance. Lesotho is supportive of any effort that will bring about lasting and sustainable peace in the Middle East, in conflict areas in Africa and in other parts of the world.
In today’s globalized world, it is indefensible and incomprehensible that decisions that bind us all are left in the hands of few Member States. A reform of the
Security Council that takes into account the aspirations of Africa, as espoused in the Ezulwini Consensus and the Sirte Declaration, cannot be postponed any longer. Transparency, inclusivity and democracy must inform the work of the entire United Nations system. The Ezulwini Consensus provides for the progressive implementation of a fair and prudent reform of the Security Council, which is crucial for the African continent’s representation in this new multilateral world order.
In this twenty-first century, peace, security, the right to self-determination, respect for all human rights and fundamental freedoms must be guaranteed as the norm rather than the exception — hence our call for the right to self-determination for the Palestinian people and complete withdrawal from their occupied territories, as well as the independence of the Sahrawi people. We also renew our call for the lifting of the unilateral economic embargo against the people of Cuba. These matters must be addressed and resolved urgently, comprehensively and honestly, without fear or favour and without malice towards anybody.
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been going on for far too long. It is about time that individual interests gave way to compassion and reason, so that the people of Palestine can enjoy their inalienable right to self- determination in our lifetime. The road to lasting peace is paved with pain and hardship; difficult concessions will have to be made in order to satisfy the desires of both sides. It is our view that the conflict must be ended through negotiations that are based on the respect of sovereign equality and the recognition of the rights and legitimate concerns of all parties involved.
The people of Western Sahara yearn for peace, freedom and the attainment of the right to determine their own destiny. For many years now, efforts by the United Nations to facilitate the transition to independence have not yielded any concrete results. It is regrettable that the continued denial of the Sahrawi people’s exercise of their inalienable right to self- determination remains unresolved. We look forward to the conclusion of the process in Western Sahara so that the people of that country can freely determine their own future.
Over the past three decades, the General Assembly has consistently voted against unilateral coercive measures through the economic, commercial and financial blockade of Cuba — to no avail. As a result, the people of Cuba have been subjected to undue suffering, which was further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. We renew our call for the lifting of that embargo, which has had an adverse impact on Cuba’s economy and brought untold sorrow and agony to its people. Similarly, unilateral coercive measures continue to be applied on the people of Zimbabwe, despite repeated resolutions to the contrary by the community of nations. We renew our call for removal of those sanctions.
The real test for the United Nations in this century is how far it is prepared to go in addressing all those challenges and how far it will go to turn promises into reality, thus enabling a large majority of the people of the world to fulfil their potential and realize their aspirations. While we appreciate the magnitude of those challenges, we continue to have faith in the Organization’s capacity to solve global problems, its broad universal support and its ability to uphold and reaffirm our shared values of peace, equity, social justice, democracy and human rights.
I wish to conclude by pointing out that we often come here to set lofty goals for Members of the United Nations but fail to walk the talk. History will judge us harshly if we continue to defer the aspirations of people across the world in their quest for equality, freedom, peace and prosperity. Such is the call and challenge staring in the face of the United Nations in the twenty-first century.