Please allow me to start by conveying to the General Assembly fraternal greetings from Ms. Samia Suluhu Hassan. President of the United Republic of Tanzania, who could not attend this current important session due to pressing national commitments. It is a great honour and privilege to address the Assembly on her behalf and for the people of my country.
I also wish to join those who spoke before me in congratulating the President of the General Assembly on his election to preside over the General Assembly at its seventy-eighth session. I pledge Tanzania’s full support to his presidency. Similarly. I wish to pay tribute to his predecessor. Mr. Csaba Korosi.
who successfully steered the Assembly during the seventy-seventh session. In the same way. I commend the Secretary-General and the Secretariat for their dedicated service to humankind in the face of many daunting global challenges.
This year, the Assembly is meeting specifically with a view to rebuilding trust and reigniting global solidarity. However, for decades now. the persistent voice of the global South calling in the wilderness to make straight the way towards peace, prosperity, progress and sustainability for all has fallen on deaf ears. The hitherto strong historical solidarity, fraternity and commitment to the principles of non-interference, equality among nations and mutual benefit, which was bequeathed to us by the founding fathers of the United Nations, is withering away. As a result of that paralysis in multilateralism, we have now begun to witness shifting geopolitical tectonic plates and the creation of new blocs seeking to replace the now obviously dysfunctional world order. Trust among States has worn away, and there is erosion of the rule of law and a reversion to unilateralism. The effectiveness of the United Nations system and multilateral financial institutions is being questioned more than ever before, calling for their immediate reform. All this is happening at a time when the world is reeling from the aftershocks of the coronavirus disease pandemic, the relentless wrath of climate change, horrendous armed conflicts, global food insecurity, the looming energy and debt crisis, persistent poverty and growing inequality.
Furthermore, the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) has been disappointing, mainly as a result of the global North’s unfulfilled promises of financing and technology and the limited fiscal space in most African countries. In order to rebuild trust, it is imperative that the global North walk the talk on its promises and listen to the voices of the global South. Analogously, the global South must re-engineer its domestic revenue-mobilization efforts, including by putting an end to the haemorrhage of its natural resource wealth and the illicit capital outflows.
Peace is undeniably a prerequisite for achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Ironically, some nations are still firing guns and missiles at each other even in the twenty-first century. However, the fact is that the massive production of weapons and the skyrocketing military spending on armed conflicts are compromising the promises we all made to the most vulnerable among us — children, young people, women and the poor — to build a better, prosperous world and create opportunities for all. leaving no one behind. In that regard. Tanzania highly commends the United Nations for its tireless efforts in maintaining international peace and security. We applaud the Secretary-General’s New Agenda for Peace, unveiled on 20 July, which provides a great vision for multilateral efforts to establish peace and security on the basis of international law. I therefore implore each one of us in the Assembly to give due consideration to the priorities stipulated therein, for they resonate very well with the spirit and essence of the theme of the Assembly’s current session.
Tanzania remains fully committed and ready to work with the United Nations family in maintaining global peace and security to make the world a safer place in which to live, not only for us but. more importantly, for the generations to come. Tanzania firmly believes that the world needs to invest more in dialogue and diplomacy to prevent and resolve armed conflicts. Wars and confrontation must be avoided at all costs, because in war everyone loses, including the non-warring parties. In that regard. Tanzania has and will continue to contribute to peacemaking and peacekeeping efforts in Africa and elsewhere in the world. As of March. Tanzania stood as the twelfth-largest contributor among the 125 countries that contribute to United Nations peacekeeping missions. Tanzania urges the international community to increase its support for regional initiatives to bring peace to war-torn parts of the African continent. Those who participate in fuelling conflicts in Africa, either for the purpose of profiting from arms trade or gaining access to blood mineral wealth, should be tracked and condemned openly by the United Nations. With regard to combating terrorism. Tanzania has strengthened its capacity to deal with cross-border terrorism by working with our neighbours and international partners, especially through the sharing of information and strategies.
Three days ago. we gathered in this Hall for a second review of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the implementation of the 17 SDGs. It is discouraging to note that, at the half-way point, we are off-track to meet most of the Goals. The progress report of the Secretary-General reveals that progress towards a mere 15 per cent of the 140 targets is on track, while progress towards a staggering 37 per cent
of the targets has either stagnated or even regressed from the 2015 baseline. That underperformance calls for supercharged implementation and partnership, especially the prioritizing of scaled-up investment in people.
Tanzania is fully committed to implementing the SDGs as envisaged. In July, it submitted its second voluntary national report, which shows that there has been significant progress overall with respect to SDGs 2 to 7. as indicated by an increase in the food sufficiency ratio, the availability of essential medicines, the decline in the under-5 mortality rate, the increase in pre-primary and primary education gross enrolment rates, the significant milestones achieved in pioneering gender equality, the improved water supply coverage in urban and rural areas and the proportion of the population with access to electricity. However, only moderate progress has been recorded under SDGs 1. 8 and 10. To ensure successful implementation of the SDGs. Tanzania is determined to take actions to improve further the domestic revenue effort, while capitalizing on public-private partnerships. We are also prioritizing investments in the social-service sectors, agriculture, agribusiness, value addition and infrastructure, as well as in developing skills for young people. In addition, harnessing science, technology and innovation is key to hastening the implementation of the SDGs.
Climate change has become the world’s greatest threat. Recent natural calamities that have devastated areas of a number of countries around the world have amplified the horrible effects of climate change. On that note. Tanzania offers its deepest condolences to the Governments and the peoples of Libya and Morocco for the loss of life and property caused by floods and earthquakes in their countries. Beyond that, the recently released sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change sounded the alarm about the reality that the world is not on track to succeed in remaining below the 1.5°C limit on the overall temperature increase agreed in Paris. Disturbingly, the report also indicates that Africa is warming at an accelerated pace that is outstripping the global rate. As a result, climate change has continued to adversely affect Africa and hamper its progress, and will continue to do so. Tanzania therefore reiterates its call for urgent and concerted action on the part of all nations to cut greenhouse-gas emissions and strengthen mitigation and adaptation measures. Together we must create an enabling environment and facilitate the investments needed to unlock the resources for scaling up the implementation of our climate commitments and the decarbonization of the global economy. We. the global community, must act with urgency. Tanzania also reiterates its call for a fair and just clean-energy transition for Africa.
Unilateral coercive measures have serious adverse effects on the economies and innocent lives they target, especially those of women and children, the very people whom we have committed to not leaving behind. Tanzania remains steadfast in its opposition to injustice, wherever and by whomever it is committed. We stand against the imposition of unjust economic sanctions and other unilateral coercive measures that undermine sovereignty and prosperity for all. We also continue to stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters who continue to be denied their rights to self-determination or are living under occupation or domination. We call for the lifting of unjust sanctions and an end to occupation and subjugation. Tanzania also advocates for the peaceful resolution of all territorial disputes in accordance with the principles set out in the Charter of the United Nations.
In conclusion. I would like to reaffirm Tanzania’s unwavering commitment to supporting the United Nations and its Member States in implementing our common global agenda. We call on warring parties around the world to silence their guns and missiles and prioritize peace. Let us act towards one another with humility, not arrogance. Let us abide by the traditional wisdom that tells us that an eye for an eye leaves everybody blind. Let us act together to address the climate crisis and hasten the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Our humble plea is for the voices, promises and solutions made and proposed at this rostrum to bring hope to the hopeless, dignity to the humiliated and justice to all.