President Adama Barrow has disclosed during the general debate at the 75th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Thursday that The Gambia has called for promoting of friendly relations between Cuba and the United States and also fully endorsed the one-China policy,. While looking forward to stronger, mutually beneficial international cooperation with the Peoples’ Republic of China.
He made the statement at the general debate of the 75th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Thursday.
“We endorse the work of the International Criminal Court, and call on the United States to revoke the sanctions imposed on the Court and its officials. Respect for the rule of law benefits all democratic states.
Furthermore, we renew our interest in the case filed at the International Court of Justice on the plight of the Rohingya people in Myanmar. In this endeavour, we count on the support and efforts of the organisation for Islamic Cooperation and all genuine partners to ensure that justice is served in Myanmar,” President Barrow said.
On the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, he called on the international community to take into account the Arab Peace Initiative, and undertake peaceful and genuine dialogue on a two-state solution.
President Barrow went further that The Gambia subscribes to the UN-AU Partnership on Peace and Security in Africa, stressing that in spite of its troubles, Africa contributes to global peace and security, thus deserving the support of the international community, particularly the UN.
He assured that The Gambia will continue to meet its commitments under the Secretary-General’s Action for Peacekeeping (A4P) Initiative.
He urged the international community not to relent in its efforts to restore peace and stability in Mali, Somalia, South Sudan, the Central African Republic and other trouble spots.
“I submit that The United Nations and regional organisations should do more to disrupt the activities of all armed terrorist and criminal networks. In addition, the African Union’s efforts to silence the guns on the continent deserve continued international support for greater peace and stability on the African continent,” President Barrow said.
He pointed out that The Gambia’s economy has shrunk to 2% of GDP, and it continues to contract and “Our tourism sector, which is a major employer and foreign exchange earner, is devastated, and unemployment is increasing rapidly.”
He said in this complex situation, his government has, with the support of partners, instituted social protection programmes to ease the adverse impact on the Gambia people. These interventions are not sustainable without external support.
“Implementation of our National Development Plan, 2018-2021 has been hampered by the pandemic. As the UN Decade of Action for the implementation of Agenda 2030 has been undermined by the outbreak of the pandemic, it is essential and most urgent to accelerate the implementation of our global commitments on Financing for Development and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change,” he said.
He added: “Developing countries, such as The Gambia, will continue to require support packages or bailouts from the United Nations and the international community in order to survive the ongoing economic decline.”
President Barrow stressed that The Gambia reiterates the strong call by the African Union for debt relief or debt cancellation, enhanced access to global finance, reduction of transaction costs on remittances and increased global solidarity and partnership.
“We hope that the unique circumstances and challenges of the Least Developed Countries, especially countries in transition like The Gambia, will be accorded special and speedy consideration,” he said
