At the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, world leaders have had their say, leaving behind a clear message that called out the ‘elephant in the room.’
They want global cooperation that must produce real results, or the UN risks becoming totally irrelevant. This explains the theme: ‘Restoring trust, managing transformation: A United Nations that delivers for all’, which addresses the deep frustrations over global inaction from several fronts.
“The question is, how many more years should African leaders travel to New York and stand before this assembly and call for fair representation in the UN Security Council? Mr President, we are being deprived of the opportunity to contribute to global security issues,” is a question posed by His Majesty the King at UNGA.
This question stems from a frustration shared by many other leaders who spoke at the assembly and needs answers. The world’s superpowers can no longer ignore it and the UN should not allow it.
In his closing address, General Assembly President Khalilur Rahman said: “194 delegations grappled with the pressing question of peace, with artificial intelligence governance and meaningful institutional reform.”
The main point of the UN’s official summary of the submissions is that trust cannot be built on declarations alone, but on consistency between words and deeds.
The truth is that this global body now faces a path that requires an end to empty rhetoric and an immediate fixing of broken promises.
Against this backdrop, His Majesty King Mswati III delivered a highly relevant speech rooted in the immediate needs of developing nations.
He did not just repeat the theme of the assembly; he challenged the world body to justify its existence to the common man everywhere.
“International cooperation can be measured by tangible improvements in human lives,” he said, adding that global cooperation should ensure that a child in a conflict zone lives without fear, a young person finds employment and a family can afford food.
Speaking to the UN, the King challenged the demand for equitable representation on the UN Security Council, which has been pending for more than two decades, despite Africa being the only continent without a permanent voice in the body responsible for maintaining global peace and security.
“Since the Ezulwini Consensus was adopted in 2005, sadly Africa still has no permanent seat on the UN Security Council and yet the continent remains a global strategic partner on the world stage,” he lamented.
Speaking at Ludzidzini on Wednesday evening in response to questions from the local media on his return, the King reiterated that they would not stop calling for the permanent seat despite the lack of action over the year ‘just as a preacher will spread the gospel until he departs the earth.’
At the UN, His Majesty went on to voice strong concerns about political instability in some parts of the world, especially the alarming rise of military takeovers and unconstitutional seizures of power.
“Sustainable development is not possible without adherence to democratic governance and rule of law,” he said.
The Madagascar coup is the latest example and SADC needs to address this issue in ways that do not seem to condone it by granting coup leaders head of State status at their meetings, but only engage them at the talks level until constitutional order prevails. The King raised concern at the continued occurrence of unconstitutional changes of government which run counter to the values and principles enshrined in the Charters of the United Nations, the African Union and regional economic blocs. “Stability is built on respect for constitutional order and the rule of law. We call on the international community to speak with one voice against its erosion,” he stated. On international conflicts, His Majesty noted that war has a great tendency to set back economic progress, to divert funds from basic social services and to increase the cost of living for ordinary citizens around the world.
He called on the international community to honour existing peace agreements, warning that breaking commitments leads to avoidable human suffering. He urged the UN to ensure that nations honour the peace deals that have been signed so as not to backslide on the progress that has been made and cause more destruction of infrastructure and innocent lives.
The UN was further called upon to oversee and ensure that follow-ups and tracking of compliance on these agreements last forever.
His Majesty also provided practical solutions, saying Eswatini was committed to peacebuilding, preventive diplomacy and mediation in the country’s tenure as the current Troika Chairperson of the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation.
Addressing the economic realities of developing countries, the King called on the UN to help African countries move away from exporting raw materials to promote local industrialisation, value addition and job creation through programmes like the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
His Majesty also referred to practical regional efforts on global health and climate change, including Eswatini’s joint initiative with neighbouring countries to bulk-buy essential medicines to reduce costs.
He also spoke about the country’s agricultural investments like building dams to secure food supply against extreme weather.
In summary, this was a bold clarion call to action from our head of State. The message he left is clear: The UN needs to move from talk to action if it is to rebuild global trust and manage the transformations ahead. In short, it is time for the UN to walk the talk!
