Minister in the Presidency, Mondli Gungubele, will today participate in the opening of the 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA77) Debate at the United Nations headquarters in New York.
Gungubele embarked on a working visit to the United States of America on Monday, as part of the South African delegation to the 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly.
The South African delegation is led by Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Dr Naledi Pandor.
The 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly takes place from 20 – 26 September 2022, under the theme, ‘A watershed moment: Unlocking transformative solutions to interlocking challenges’.
Much of the focus of the high-level and side meetings to be held at UNGA will focus on development matters, specifically health, education and the broader implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
On Monday, Gungubele participated in the Third Sustainable Development Goals Moment 2022: High Level Meeting.
The annual SDG Moment aims to provide a snapshot of progress, highlight actions taken by Member States, and advance the transformation needed to achieve the 2030 Agenda.
It was created by the political declaration adopted at the first SDG Summit in 2019, which mandated the UN Secretary-General to convene the event, as part of every high-level week of the UNGA from 2020 to 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 GCTF was launched in New York on 22 September 2011, as an informal platform to address critical counter-terrorism challenges facing the world.
Consisting of 29 countries (including South Africa), the GCTF aims to make a practical contribution to addressing counter-terrorism issues by engaging at the practitioner and technical expert level.
The Presidency said the MM12 meeting will focus particularly on implementing the GCTF’s initiatives at national and regional level.
It will also take stock of the GCTF’s efforts and achievements, discuss its priorities and highlight future initiatives.
Gungubele will also deliver the country statement on Wednesday during the High-Level Meeting to commemorate 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 the various engagements at UNGA will provide South Africa an opportunity to highlight issues of national, regional and international importance.
“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.
