It is a great honour for me to address the General Assembly at its seventy-eighth session 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”. In a world faced with complex challenges, such as climate change, poverty, inequality and resource depletion, it has become increasingly evident that sustainable development is not just a noble aspiration but an imperative for the survival and well-being of our planet and its inhabitants.
For 78 years, the United Nations has stood for the great ideal of building an international system of collaboration, solidarity and common purpose. The values of the Charter of the United Nations, which are our road map today, will remain as such for generations to come because the United Nations is founded on the timeless ideals of global peace, security, development, human rights and global cooperation. Today we need unity in our Organization more than ever before.
Among the multiple crises that we are experiencing are the impact of the coronavirus disease pandemic, geopolitical conflicts and wars and the climate change catastrophe. Those have undermined our resilience and increased vulnerability to shocks and have significantly slowed the progress in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. Just as the founders of the United Nations once united to address the challenges of their time for the benefit of all. it is now our responsibility to stand together and confront those that we face today, rebuild trust and take swift action to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and the African Agenda 2063.
Of great concern are the conflicts around the world, the coups and the unconstitutional changes of Governments in several African States, which are negating the gains towards attaining our African Union goals. We have also witnessed natural disasters in the form of floods and earthquakes that have claimed thousands of lives in Libya and Morocco, among other countries. We wish to extend our sympathies and condolences to those who lost their loved ones.
The Kingdom of Eswatini wishes to encourage the efforts that are being undertaken to find a political solution to the matter regarding the Western Sahara within the parameters of Security Council resolution 2654 (2022). We commend the Secretary-General and his Personal Envoy for advancing dialogue as a means of reaching a sustainable solution to the impasse. To attain that, we need to actively practise tolerance and promote peace in all areas. We owe it to ourselves to
reignite global solidarity to achieve economic and social advancement for all our peoples.
The Kingdom of Eswatini embraces multilateral cooperation and prioritizes adherence to international law when looking to address the challenges posed by conflicts and wars. We therefore support the global call for silencing of guns, which affect the most vulnerable groups.
We remain steadfast in our call for the peaceful resolution of conflicts and the continual improvement of democratic and inclusive governance. The Kingdom of Eswatini therefore commends the Secretary-General for facilitating the New Agenda for Peace, which promotes the principles of trust and solidarity, which are foundations of the United Nations Charter.
Eswatini supports women’s empowerment and youth participation in decision-making for conflict prevention and development. We should work to advance gender equality and end violence against women. Our focus is on building accountable, effective and inclusive institutions, in line with SDG 16. We established a legal aid office to enhance access to justice and the rule of law. especially for vulnerable and marginalized groups. We have also developed an implementation plan for the Universal Periodic Review on Human Rights and have strengthened national institutions of monitoring and reporting frameworks to promote and protect human rights for all Emaswati.
Like all other Member States. Eswatini’s implementation of the SDGs has been impacted by the multiple shocks at both the global and the national levels. Notwithstanding those challenges, as a country, we remain steadfast in our commitment to achieving those targets. We have been ranked among the top five by the World Bank for our growing economy, with our gross domestic product growth (GDP) at about 7.8 per cent. We attained the second-highest manufacturing value added per capita country, and we are placed sixth on the 2022 Africa Industrialization Index. Furthermore, we have been ranked number nine among the 10 African countries with the highest GDP per capita. We will not rest on our laurels but will work much harder as we look to improve our economy.
The recent global challenges have had negative impacts on our ability to provide social services, including health and education. Despite that, we have significantly reduced the rate of death under 5 years of age and the maternal mortality ratio in Eswatini. The prevalence of the human immunodeficiency virus among adults aged 15 to 49 has also dropped. We continue to work tirelessly to strengthen our healthcare systems, while also ensuring that our citizens have access to those essential services. We commend the Secretary-General for the many initiatives aimed at helping Member States to better recover from such multiple shocks.
Following our participation in the Summit on Transforming Education last year, we are delighted to share that the country continues to increase opportunities for learning and skills development, including through the integration and use of digital technologies.
Significant strides have been made by the Kingdom of Eswatini in increasing access to electricity since the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. We now have national coverage of above 80 per cent. Notable progress has also been made in terms of road and information and communication technology infrastructure, connecting cities and economic zones.
When it comes to access to basic water services. 69 per cent of the population now enjoys that necessity, and access to basic sanitation services has reached 58 per cent of our people. The literacy rate among adults aged 15 and above has improved from 79 per cent in 2000 to 87 per cent. The gross enrolment ratio for primary education has increased from 97 per cent in 2000 to 104 per cent.
In the lead-up to the Sustainable Development Goals Summit this week, the Kingdom of Eswatini undertook a series of consultations in every region, seeking the views of the people regarding how best to accelerate the attainment of the SDGs. As a result, the Kingdom has prioritized investments in key areas in the remaining seven years. We want to create decent jobs and employment opportunities for everyone, especially the youth. We want to improve water and sanitation for all. We are convinced that that will help to ensure maximum progress across all 17 SDGs.
Eswatini has continued to cherish its home-grown and unique model of people-driven democratic governance. Like many other democracies, our Constitution recognizes the role of the monarchy, as well as a bicameral Parliament, the separation of powers, fundamental human rights and the rule of law. It takes into account our rich cultural heritage and traditional African values, in that it is grounded
in respect, consensus and community support through traditional structures. It is a monarchical democracy.
Our system is based on individual merit, where candidates are nominated from their communities to stand for elections in constituencies that we call tinkhundla, to which they are accountable. The electorate expects members of Parliament to meet as colleagues rather than combatants, to look for consensus as opposed to partisanship and to balance the interests of their constituencies with those of the nation.
In terms of our democratic dispensation, elections are a constitutional imperative and are held every five years. Eswatini is in the middle of its electoral cycle in a bid to elect the twelfth Parliament. In that regard, a voter registration exercise, which returned more than 95 per cent of people registered against an eligible population, was conducted. That was a resounding success and a ringing endorsement of support for the system of Government. As we speak, the nomination process has been completed. Primary elections were held on 26 August, and our secondary elections will take place on 29 September. We look forward to Emaswati expressing their desires through the ballot box.
The Sibaya — the people’s Parliament — remains one of our highest institutions, where Emaswati dialogue and play their part in determining the future that they want. It is an inclusive forum, where citizens, irrespective of gender and social status, discuss issues of national interest. A couple of weeks ago. the nation celebrated 55 years of our independence, during which Emaswati have been living in peace and harmony.
Eswatini has been hit hard by the coronavirus disease pandemic, which has affected some of our social sectors. Although we have made progress in reducing poverty and inequality, they remain high. As a result, we continue to battle with high unemployment, especially among young people. With the support of the United Nations in Eswatini. we launched a youth empowerment programme, which has generated great public interest among the private sector. We hope to enrol at least 4.000 young people into the programme to increase their chances of employment and to help them start their own businesses, including with access to financing. The European Union has also pledged to support youth empowerment initiatives to mitigate the unemployment situation.
Eswatini is highly dependent on external sources of income, such as regional trade, remittances and transfers from the Southern African Customs Union. We continue to implement structural reforms to improve our business environment, diversify our economy and foster inclusive growth. We recently launched our national implementation strategy for the African Continental Free Trade Area agreement.
Two days ago. on the sidelines of the General Assembly, we had a resource mobilization session to introduce the Africa Strategic Investment Alliance. That will support the Africa E-trade (AeTrade) programme, which seeks to create a digital marketing platform for all African countries to promote trading through technologies. We are also looking to advanced countries to share their experiences so that Africa will not be left behind. We urge Member States and financial institutions to support the AeTrade initiative. We wish to commend the private sector, which participated in the forum and further committed itself to pledges towards that noble objective. That will help us to take full advantage of the opportunities for intra-Africa trade, increase national productivity and promote regional integration in the world’s largest free trade area, which connects 1.3 billion people across 55 countries, with a combined gross domestic product valued at $3.4 trillion.
Eswatini is embracing the “leave no one behind” principle, which is the central promise of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Goals. As we work towards achieving those targets, it is crucial to re-evaluate the global financial architecture. We must address interest rates in a way that is fair and beneficial to both least developed and developing nations. That will ensure the eradication of poverty in all its forms and improved living conditions for the poorest of the poor. Sustaining the SDGs will require that Member States develop innovative financing strategies to ensure that implementation reaches those left furthest behind.
At this critical juncture, including Taiwan is an essential next step if we are to successfully achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. We call for Taiwan’s inclusion in the United Nations system, which encompasses participation in meetings, mechanisms and activities that pertain to the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals. That would not only strengthen global cooperation and partnership, but it would also emphasize the principle of ensuring that no one is left behind.
In conclusion, in the remaining seven years. Eswatini will continue to prioritize the implementation of the SDGs and ensure that they remain the core agenda behind our development. We are optimistic that a broad range of actors will be mobilized and that capacities will be strengthened to ensure the achievement of the Goals by 2030. The SDGs will continue to be a guiding light that shapes national policies, budgets, institutions. Governments and sector strategies. The Kingdom of Eswatini stands with the rest of the world in committing to accelerating progress in the implementation of the United Nations targets in the remaining seven years. The year 2023 is a turning point for the country, as we hope to break through to a better future for all.
Let me take this opportunity to wish all participants successful deliberations. May Almighty God bless us all.