Salaheddine Mezouar represents Morocco in the opening session of the 71st UN General Assembly, which kicked off yesterday. Salaheddine Mezouar takes part in the event alongside 140 heads of state. These leaders will be addressing the 193 Member States of the deliberative , decision making and representative organ of the UN who are also taking part. This 71st edition was opened under the theme “Sustainable Development Goals: universal thrust to transform our world.”
Among the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the objective 13 is particularly relevant for our country, which is organizing the COP22. This objective is “Take urgent action against climate change and its impacts.”
In his introductory speech, the Secretary General of the UN Ban Ki-moon stressed on the importance of the climate change agenda. “With the Paris Agreement, we answer the most important challenge of our time. We have no time to lose. I call heads of state to arrange for an entry into force of the Paris Agreement by the end of this year. We still need ratification by 26 member states representing 15% of global emissions to make this entry into force a reality. ”
On his part, and as the first African leader to address the General Assembly this morning, Idriss Deby, President of Chad, stressed the importance of joint work with the international community to combat the effects global warming in Africa. He stated: “It is not about charity for Africa, but rather to establish a true partnership with Africa in order to bring an answer to climate change”.
