With the presence of 88 presidents, the largest attendance ever recorded, the general debate closed its doors on Tuesday after also bringing together 42 heads of government, four deputy prime ministers and another 50 speakers, including ministers, deputy ministers and heads of delegations.
At the end of the session, the President of the Forum, Dennis Francis, described the unity of nations as necessary and called for measures so that all states find within themselves the will to act in solidarity.
The representative of Trinidad and Tobago also recalled the holding of seven high-level meetings and the adoption of four political declarations on key current issues.
In addition, he highlighted the holding of a hundred parallel events and two thousand bilateral meetings between representatives of member countries.
However, Francis regretted the low representation of women in the forum; there are barely twenty women among those in power, three fewer than in 2022.
Given this reality, the President of the Assembly warned of the urgency of recognizing women’s voices at all levels, from the grassroots of societies to the global stage.
“It starts with investing in education, particularly for girls,” he said.
Since September 18, the headquarters has hosted seven high-level meetings and four statements on key current issues.
The scope of universal health coverage, the task of combating tuberculosis, prevention, preparedness and response to pandemics, and the imperative to advance the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development were at the heart of the debates.
Declarations alone are not enough, stressed the Chairman of the General Assembly, urging to maintain the momentum and translate it into concrete actions, starting with development financing.
The current conflict in Ukraine, the deterioration of the economic and political situation in Africa and the Middle East and the violent situation in Haiti were cited as key current challenges for member countries.
However, the accelerating climate change led to a majority consensus among participants focused on developing a concrete roadmap to accelerate the pace towards sustainable development.