Staff Reporter
ADDRESSING climate change and inequality emerged as two primary subjects that President Hage Geingob focused on both during and on the side-lines of the recently concluded 78th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
The UNGA saw various Heads of State and Government gathering in New York, United States of America (USA), from 18th September to 26th September to discuss issues of global importance. This included discussions regarding the acceleration of the United Nations’ (UN) 2030 Agenda, which aims to alleviate poverty, and the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
President Hage Geingob emphasized the pursuit of a just energy transition to combat climate change as a key theme during the UNGA, and he also championed this cause in discussions with other world leaders. He underscored Namibia’s commitment to spearheading the battle against climate change and positioned the country as a hub for green hydrogen, with several projects underway.
“President Geingob outlined Namibia’s unique opportunities in renewable energy, green hydrogen, carbon-sequestrating underwater kelp cultivation, sustainable water management, and clean synthetic fuels production,” President Geingob’s spokesperson, Dr Alfredo Hengari, said.
The president also shared Namibia’s green hydrogen goals with the Belgian Prime Minister, Alexander De Croo, during bilateral discussions, with a particular emphasis on enhancing Belgian investments in green hydrogen projects within Namibia.
This bilateral engagement with Prime Minister De Croo is just one among numerous meetings that the President held with other world leaders during his recent week abroad.
Hengari disclosed that President Geingob also participated in a leadership reception hosted by President Joe Biden of the USA, engaged in bilateral discussions with Hungarian President Katalin Novak, and held consultations with Sheikh Shakhboot Nahyan Al Nahyan, the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) Minister of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who expressed the UAE’s interest in investing in Namibia.
Hengari further revealed that the president also had courtesy meetings with Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa and President Mokgweetsi Masisi of Botswana. These courtesy calls focused on strengthening the bond and peace among Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries.
This was also not the only time that the president advocated for Africa’s concerns during his week abroad. In fact, while in New York, President Geingob and President Masisi engaged in discussions about shaping and reclaiming the African narrative. It was during this discussion, held at the bustling Apollo Theatre, that the President encouraged the African Diaspora to actively participate in reshaping people’s perceptions of Africa.
President Geingob and President Masisi also attended the 70th-anniversary celebration of the Africa-America Institute, an institute from which President Geingob himself benefited from a scholarship. During the event, they engaged in a discussion about the pivotal role of education in fostering development.
This topic of development – particularly as it relates to Africa – was also highlighted by President Geingob during the 2023 Sustainable Development Summit, where he called on international financing institutions, like the World Bank, to review their Capital Adequacy Ratios to unlock more capital for African countries, and lower- and middle-income countries in general.
President Geingob highlighted Namibia as a prime example of a country whose development has been unfairly impacted by its classification as an upper-middle-income nation based solely on per capita income. He elaborated on how this classification overlooks the country’s relatively small population and its enduring history of oppression and inequality spanning over a century.
The issue of inequality remained a central focus during other interactions the President had while in New York. This includes the UNAIDS Think Pandemics-Think Inequality High-Level event, where the president urged world leaders to accelerate efforts in the fight against inequality, emphasizing that equality is a prerequisite for peace.
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