Namibia congratulates the President on his election as President of the General Assembly at its seventy-eighth session. Allow me to use this opportunity to pledge to him the commitment of Namibia to supporting the priorities he has set out. namely, peace, prosperity, progress and sustainability. Namibia would also like to thank his predecessor. Mr. Csaba Korosi. for steering with diligence the work of the seventy-seventh session of the General Assembly.
Let me state that Namibia agrees with Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who a few months ago said.
“Unless we act now. the 2030 Agenda will become an epitaph for a world that might have been”.
Therefore, the theme of the current session. “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”, is fitting.
With the onset of the coronavirus disease, the number of people living in extreme poverty rose for the first time in a generation. That demonstrates the fact that, at the midpoint to the global Goals, we face the stark reality that we will miss our Goals and targets. The seventy-eighth session serves as a clarion call to reset and work in the true spirit of partnership for better results on the ground. Indeed, the world is in a state of flux, and progress is uneven. Taking cognizance of the interconnectedness between all the goals and targets, we should accelerate investment in health care, renewable energy, education, clean water and sanitation.
The terrifying gap between the wealthy and the marginalized is not just a moral concern but also a threat to political stability and harmony. We are therefore duty-bound to create an environment in which prosperity is shared and inclusive. In our collective pursuit of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Namibia looks forward with hope and optimism to the Summit of the Future, to be held next year, as an opportunity to prioritize meaningful reforms that can reinvigorate the global goals in order to give impetus to the broader system-wide United Nations reform agenda. Namibia also welcomes UN 2.0 and the Quintet of Change, aimed at providing the United Nations family with cutting- edge capabilities in data, digital, innovation, foresight and expertise in order to deliver better and effective Member State support to accelerate development.
The health of a nation is the bedrock for all development activities. Today the General Assembly will adopt a political declaration on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response. Pandemics have long been formidable adversaries that disproportionately wreak havoc on the socioeconomic fabric of developing countries. Those crises go beyond their immediate health implications, unravelling years of development progress, straining health-care systems and exacerbating existing socioeconomic disparities. We need to change the status quo. To do so. we must end vaccine apartheid. We need to ensure equitable access to health products. We need stronger commitments from wealthy nations on technology transfer, the removal of intellectual property barriers, and investments in manufacturing in order to enable vaccine production in the global South.
I always say that inclusivity spells harmony and exclusivity spells conflict. The continued advocacy for gender equality is core in our collective journey towards a just and inclusive world. Therefore, advocating for gender equality is not only a matter of fairness but also an essential step towards unlocking innovation, diversity and social cohesion. We are indeed proud to be ranked eighth in the world by the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report 2023 for progress in closing the gender gap. In addition to having 44 per cent female representation in Parliament, we have women in the positions of Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister. The current Deputy Prime Minister has been selected by the ruling party to be a candidate for the presidency. Very soon after I leave the Office of President in one year’s time, she may be the President to come and stand here. Two thirds of our key banking institutions are headed by women. In the same vein, we believe in promoting inclusive and effective governance that ensures that our young people are integrated into decision-making structures to play their part in the future they have helped to shape.
Rapid advances in technology, quantum computing and artificial intelligence are transforming the global landscape, offering unprecedented challenges and opportunities for growth and development. Therefore, developing countries should not be left behind in the digital revolution. Access to technology can bridge gaps in education, health care and economic development, propelling nations towards progress. We must navigate technological challenges and harness opportunities by fostering an environment that is conducive to technology transfer, technology adoption, skills development and collaboration.
As we march towards the twenty-eighth Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change for the final global stocktake, we are acutely aware that the energy transition is not only a necessity in combating climate change but also an opportunity for economic development. Consistent with their pledges made at the United Nations Climate Change Conference held in Paris in 2015. developed nations must provide financial and technological support to enable developing countries to shift to cleaner energy sources without hampering development.
Three years ago. during the seventy-fifth session of the General Assembly. Namibia boldly announced its intention to change its economic structure by leveraging innovative financial tools to mobilize sustainable climate financing in order to combat climate change. One year later in Glasgow. Scotland, on the margins of COP 26. we announced the development of large-scale green hydrogen projects that would provide the world with the clean molecules needed to decarbonize hard- to-abate sectors. Today we have more than five such projects under development and are looking to deploy more than $20 billion in order to develop our world-class renewable energy potential to give our future generations a fighting chance against a warming planet.
Developing a new synthetic fuels industry in Namibia is not just an opportunity to fight climate change; indeed, it also offers an unparalleled opportunity for green industrialization. Namibia has now attracted new industries that are looking to make use of the cheap clean electricity and molecules to be produced in Namibia. One such pioneering example is Project Oshivela by Uy Iron, which plans to use Namibian-produced green hydrogen to deliver the first industrial production of iron at net-zero emissions. During the first phase of the project in 2024. an annual output of 15.000 tons of direct reduced iron is planned. Project Oshivela will be one of the biggest primary production sites of green iron worldwide and is expected to sequestrate 27.000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions per year — equivalent to 50 per cent of the carbon dioxide emissions of Namibia’s entire power industry today.
In order to transport the clean molecules to their final destination, shipping — which is yet another hard- to-abate sector — will also need to deploy innovative solutions. That is why Namibia is now developing green shipping corridors with the Maersk Mc-Kinney Moller Center for Zero-Carbon Shipping as we look to map and fund the development of carbon-neutral maritime value chains through the production, transportation, storage and consumption of clean fuels and carbon-free products made in Namibia and traded with the world. We are working with Compagnie Maritime Beige, a Belgian shipping company, on plans to build a clean ammonia-bunkering facility in Walvis Bay. at a cost of more than €2.2 billion, in partnership with Namibia’s own Olthaver and List Group. On 28 September this year, that partnership — named Cleanergy — is expected to reveal plans to construct its first Namibian green hydrogen multimodal service station.
I always say that we do not make peace with our friends; we make peace with our enemies. Punitive measures imposed for more than half a century on the Republic of Cuba have brought untold hardships that have disenfranchised the Cuban people. The embargo against the Cuban people remains unjust, and it must therefore be lifted. Namibia appeals to the United States of America to remove the Republic of Cuba from the list of State sponsors of terrorism, as there is no evidence to support such a classification. Selective punitive measures against Zimbabwe and Venezuela must also be lifted, as those measures constitute the greatest obstacle to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
The United Nations Charter remains an important source of inspiration, reflecting the commonly agreed values of diplomacy and peaceful coexistence. We regard the Charter-enshrined right to self-determination for all peoples as essential. That rings true for the people of Western Sahara. While our right to self- determination has been upheld, the people of Western Sahara continue to remain under occupation. We recall how Morocco supported our right to self-determination, and we now call on it to do the same for the people of Western Sahara.
Similarly, the people of Palestine yearn to transition from the inhumane conditions of oppressive rule. Namibia is therefore pleased by the decision of the General Assembly to submit to the International Court of Justice a request for an advisory opinion on the legal consequences arising from the ongoing violation by Israel of the right of the Palestinian people to self- determination.
The challenges we face today are not insurmountable. By holding hands and by renewing our commitment to multilateralism, we can reverse the worst effects of the unprecedented global challenges of global warming, global inequality, pandemics and conflicts. By holding hands, we have it within us to act now and build the world that we want. In that world, no one should feel left out.