GCC Has Great Lessons To Share With The World: UNGA78 President Dennis Francis

Dennis Francis’ role as the president of the 78th Session of the United Nations General Assembly has come at a deeply challenging moment for the multilateral system.

Since it was established decades back, multilateralism has provided the global framework for stability. But concerns have been rising over the concept potentially reducing its relevance now.

The world currently seems to be in a deep state of chaos and instability, amid conflicts, climate change, poverty, hunger, inequality, mistrust and division.

When Francis took his oath of office and was handed the gavel, he reflected on “the burden of responsibility that I have taken on as president of the General Assembly.”

He expressed his interest in mobilising the main policy-making organ of the UN in order “to deliver for people and for planet”.

Dennis Francis Speaks On Current State Of Multilateralism

A number of difficult questions have been raised lately on whether the multilateral model is still fit for purpose in an era of renewed power rivalries and political economy tensions.

Francis has spent years working closely with multilateral agencies. He provided a nuanced perspective when asked about the state of multilateralism in an interview with Arab News.

While acknowledging the concept is facing challenges, he didn’t call it entirely dysfunctional. “It might not deliver uniformly, but it does and can deliver.”

There have been a number of examples of success that demonstrate multilateralism can indeed deliver results, such as the inclusion of loss and damage in the COP27 agreement.

The landmark decision aims to provide financial assistance to poorer countries who have been grappling with the negative consequences that arise from the risks of climate change.

Gulf States Have Great Lessons To Share With The World

The UNGA78 president highlighted the willingness of the UAE, Saudi Arabia and other GCC countries to share the lessons of their success.

“[Gulf states] have a unique history and they have pursued development with great success in many cases. So, there are lessons that they can share,” he added.

UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan will present the country’s vision for international peace and cooperation in his September 23 address at UNGA78.

He will lead the UAE delegation to the annual discussions in New York, aiming to highlight the Emirates’ vision of creating a better world for all.

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The delegation will participate in a number of high-level meetings related to multiple pressing challenges, including climate change, terrorism and extremism.