President Professor Peter Mutharika Monday left the country for New York, New York, United States of America for the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Meeting.
Every year in the month of September, World leaders converge in the big Apple, USA to discuss issues affecting the globe.
This year, it is expected that among other issues, leaders will report on the Millennium Development Goals (MGDs) which they had agreed 15 years ago while also endorse new sustainable development goals that countries will have to focus on for the same period of time.
Speaking at Kamuzu International Airport in Lilongwe, Mutharika said Malawi has only managed to achieve four out of eight agreed millennium development goals.
The President, however, blamed the country’s failure on lack of finances especially from development partners who he said were good at making promises to support and yet could not honor their promises.
“As a country we wouldn’t say we have done bad, no, we have tried our best only that insufficient funds were and has been our major setback” he explained.
Mutharika then described his attendance to the UN meeting as crucial since it will cover a range of issues including youth and women empowerment, HIV and Aids as well as environment.
“This is a very important trip as leaders are going to tackle issues affecting the world with focus on local resource mobilization and how we can reduce new HIV infections,” Mutharika said.
About 17 new Sustainable Development Goals will be agreed up on by the world leaders during this meeting.
The Malawi Leader accompanied by the First Lady Madame Getrude Mutharika was seen-off by Vice President Dr. Saulos Chilima, Cabinet Ministers and other top Government officials among others.
Social Media in Malawi is raising the issue of Mutharika travelling with a large delegation when the country faces a financial crisis. His brother Bingu WA Mutharika at one time travelled with over 15 cabinet Ministers to the same event.
Pope Francis’
Pope Francis’ address before the United Nations later this week is a highly anticipated event. Roger Clark has more on what we should expect to hear from the Vatican’s ambassador to the UN.
When the flags go up at the United Nations on Friday, the Vatican flag will be raised for the first time ahead of Pope Francis’ visit to the annual gathering of world leaders.
“The pope will not be speaking primarily as a politician. He will not be speaking like a technical expert. He will not be speaking like a high UN official. But he will be speaking, above all, as a pastor, as a religious leader,” said Archbishop Bernardito Auza, the Vatican’s permanent observer to the United Nations.
Auza talked to the media about the pope’s appearance, the fifth visit by a pontiff. The Vatican flag will go up because of a successful campaign by Palestine to have the flags of non-member observer states raised. The Vatican and Palestine are the only such states there.
Francis is expected to address the General Assembly for half an hour, focusing on the themes he’s stressed in his papacy.
“Poverty, social justice, climate change, and what we call peaceful institutions and societies,” Auza said. “These are also the priorities of the Catholic Church.”
The archbishop talked about the excitement surrounding the pope’s visit. To some extent, he attributed it to the media.
“So many of his words have been picked up by the general press,” Auza said. “Not only the specialized, Catholic or Christian or whatever press, but also really by the big providers of news in the world.”
Of course, traffic is always a mess on the east side during the General Assembly, and the pope’s visit may add to that. Residents near the UN say at this point, they are used to it.
“There’s difficulty getting around. It’s difficult to cross the street. But these are good problems in the grand scheme,” said one area resident. “I think it’s a worthwhile conversation.”
Of course, not everyone is as thrilled.
“You can’t go anywhere. You’ve got all of the feds and the locals,” said one area resident. “It’s difficult to move around.”
As one resident who works at the UN put it, this is an important visit, worth the inconvenience, though someone stuck in traffic may not agree.
