Mondli Gungubele, Minister in the Presidency, will participate in the opening of the 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA77) Debate at the United Nations headquarters in New York City today.
As part of the South African delegation to the 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, Gungubele departed for the United States of America on Monday for a working visit.
Dr. Naledi Pandor, Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, leads the South African delegation.
The 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly will be held from September 20 to September 26, 2022, with the theme “A watershed moment: Unlocking transformative solutions to interlocking challenges.”
The majority of the UNGA’s high-level and side sessions will be devoted to development issues, particularly health, education, and the wider implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Gungubele attended the Third Sustainable Development Goals Moment 2022: High Level Meeting on Monday.
The annual SDG Moment strives to give a picture of progress, highlight Member State activities, and accelerate the necessary change to realise the 2030 Agenda.
It was established by the political statement issued at the inaugural SDG Summit in 2019, which tasked the UN Secretary-General with convening the event during each high-level week of the UNGA from 2020 through 2030.
“Minister Gungubele will also attend the opening of the Transformation Education Summit where Minister of Basic Education, Angie Motshekga, will deliver the country statement.
“On Wednesday, Minister Gungubele will, in his capacity as Minister of State Security, participate in the Twelfth Global Counter Terrorism Forum (GCTF) Ministerial Plenary Meeting (MM12),” the Presidency said in a statement.
The Global Counter-Terrorism Forum (GCTF) was established in New York on September 22, 2011 as an informal forum to discuss the most pressing global counter-terrorism concerns.
The GCTF, comprised of 29 nations (including South Africa), aspires to make a meaningful contribution to tackling counter-terrorism concerns via practitioner and technical expert engagement.
The MM12 conference will concentrate on executing GCTF objectives at the national and regional level, according to the Presidency.
In addition, it will assess the GCTF’s work and accomplishments, outline its goals, and showcase upcoming projects.
Wednesday, Gungubele will make the country’s statement at the High-Level Meeting commemorating the 30th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities.
“The High-Level meeting will reflect on the implementation of the declaration, whilst also identifying the gaps. This is particularly relevant, as it has been noted that minorities, globally, are facing renewed barriers in the promotion and protection of their rights, various forms of discrimination, including hate speech and violence,” the Presidency said.
The Presidency said that the different events at UNGA will give South Africa an opportunity to talk about issues that are important on a national, regional, and international level.
“South Africa’s participation in the General Debate of the UNGA77 is a strategic opportunity for the promotion of our national and foreign policy objectives, as espoused in Chapter 7 of the NDP [National Development Plan] — Positioning South Africa in the World,” the Presidency said.