New York, 25 September 2018
President Kagame today addressed the Official Opening of the General Debate of the 73rd Session of the United Nations General Assembly.
Held under the theme “Making the United Nations Relevant to All People: Global Leadership and Shared Responsibilities for Peaceful, Equitable and Sustainable Societies,” the Debate was an occasion for world leaders to share their thoughts on how to ensure that the United Nations remains relevant to all people.
Speaking at the event, President Kagame stressed that for the UN to stay relevant, there is a need for commitment to achieving multilateralism, where it has too often been lacking.
“The current two-track system of global governance is unsustainable. A few get to be the ones to define the norms by which others shall be judged. But standards that do not apply to everyone equally are not universal. Addressing this imbalance in the very foundation of our system is what will give shape to a revival of multilateral cooperation, and renew the legitimacy of the international institutions, that are so crucial to our planet’s future,” President Kagame said.
The President further noted that in the years ahead, Africa looks forward to deepening its important partnership with the United Nations to advance shared agenda of peace and security, gender equality and women’s empowerment, environment protection, and shared prosperity.
The Head of State also delivered a Keynote Address at Concordia Summit, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that seeks to build effective public-private partnerships to create a more prosperous and sustainable future.
In the afternoon, President Kagame joined other world leaders in a high-level meeting on the Secretary General’s Initiative on Action for Peacekeeping and took part in discussions on ‘Investing in Jobs for Young People in Africa.’
“Any endeavor to empower young people must be based on good politics that is inclusive and that leaves no one behind, especially women and girls. What we need is to translate good ideas and plans into action,” President Kagame told leaders convened for a discussion on ‘Investing in Jobs for Young People in Africa’.