Speaking at the general debate of the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, President Barrow said his government’s goal was to recover and grow our economy, transform digitally, and consolidate our democratic gains.
He expressed his government’s resolve to uplift Gambians from poverty, secure livelihoods, and create new avenues to transition into a prosperous, peaceful, and stable nation.
“Because the youth and women form the greater majority of our population, the Government will continue to empower them. Like all other genuine nations, we are committed to the global consensus that no country should be left behind in this Decade of Action.”
Despite its size and economic status, he said, The Gambia is at the forefront of fighting climate change through ambitious national action plans. He added that the country looks forward to participating effectively in COP27 in Egypt and the Fifth United Nations Conference on Least Develop Countries (LDCs) in Qatar.
Accelerating development in Africa hinges on addressing the underlying causes of insecurity and underdevelopment. As a continent, our collective goal is to have a peaceful Africa where the people enjoy the dividends of peace, stability, and prosperity.
African Governments are committed to silencing the guns on the continent as a strategic objective, he said, reiterating that for this reason, he asked the United Nations and the international community to shoulder their fair share of the burden of the African Union peace endeavours.
“Our experience with keeping the peace in Africa is marked by isolated efforts in many instances. Africa must be provided with adequate equipment and the means to fully play its peace enforcement role on behalf of the international community.”
As a longstanding troop-and-police contributing country, he continued that The Gambia would continue to support the Secretary-General’s Action for Peacekeeping Initiative, and welcomes its reinforcement through the Action for Peacekeeping Strategy.
He told the General Assembly that his government is committed to improving the capacity of our officers through increased pre-deployment training, innovative partnerships, and more gender-balanced peacekeeping deployment approaches.
“We must, however, review and do more to address the frequent deadly attacks against peacekeepers in Mission areas by giving them realistic mandates. As a sitting member of the African Union Peace and Security Council, The Gambia’s commitment to peace and security in Africa and beyond remains unwavering.”
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