In first UN General Assembly address, President Joseph Nyuma Boakai calls on Member States to overwhelmingly vote Liberia to the Security Council
In his first address to the UN General Assembly, President Joseph Nyuma Boakai has called on member states to overwhelmingly vote Liberia to the African non-permanent seat of the Security Council.
President Boakai told the world body that Liberia is prepared to work with the international community to accomplish the Sustainable Development Goals, and that the nation was committed to a fair, peaceful, and sustainable world.
The President said Liberia’s commitment to unity is deeply ingrained in the nation’s history as a founding member of the United Nations. President Boakai then reaffirmed Liberia’s strong belief in multilateralism and an international rules-based world that, he says, should be based on values and principles that are crucial to the future of humanity.
Touching on other regional and global issues, the President said Liberia stands firmly with the rest of west Africa to hold ECOWAS together; remarking that “we oppose efforts to disintegrate ECOWAS, and we reject the region being used for proxy conflicts.”
President Boakai then called on the African Union and the United Nations to support west African nations to keep ECOWAS united. He also noted that terrorism in west Africa was of increasing concern as is political instability. The Liberian leader called for dialogue to address the situation.
On climate change, the President assured the world that Liberia remains fully committed to the Paris Climate Agreement and will begin taking concrete actions to contribute towards the global effort as outlined in the agreement.
President Boakai also assured the world that Liberia remains committed to addressing its own domestic challenges including the war on drugs, on which he urged international cooperation, youth unemployment, maternal and newborn deaths and poverty.
The President reaffirmed Liberia’s determination to pursue accountability for war crimes and to hold accountable past and present public officials implicated in corruption.
The President then praised the UN General Assembly for setting aside July 25th each year as the International Day of Women and Girls of African descent, recognizing the unique challenges associated with being a woman or girl from Africa.
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