New York — Namibia is pushing for socio-economic development to be placed at the centre of the United Nations' work, saying the global body must respond more directly to the needs of developing countries and not focus only on peace and security.
International relations and trade minister Selma Ashipala-Musavyi said Namibia will use the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly to push for a stronger and more representative multilateral system, including reforms that give developing countries a greater voice in decisions affecting them.
"We want to put socio-economic development at the centre of the work of the United Nations and not just peace and security," Ashipala-Musavyi told New Era in an interview in New York. The minister said the call comes at a time when trust in the multilateral system is declining, making reform of the United Nations increasingly important.
"One needs to look at the theme for the 81st session, which is restoring trust, managing transformation that includes everybody. That in itself is a recognition that trust in the multilateral system is waning," she said.
Follow us on WhatsApp | LinkedIn for the latest headlines
Ashipala-Musavyi said Namibia, together with other countries of the Global South, is pursuing two broad areas of reform - strengthening the United Nations as a whole and reforming the Security Council.
She said the General Assembly, which has the largest membership in the UN system, should be strengthened to ensure that member states have a meaningful voice in decisions affecting the international community.
"How do we make sure that the majority, the overwhelming majority of members of the United Nations, have an equal voice?" she asked.
"That means that we need to strengthen the General Assembly, which is the biggest organ of the United Nations, so that all of us have a voice in making and taking decisions that concern us all."
According to the minister, the United Nations should be equipped with the capacity to respond to development challenges while maintaining its role in addressing international peace and security.
Namibia is also continuing to push for reform of the UN Security Council, with Ashipala-Musavyi saying Africa must have a permanent place among the Council's members.
"We have been at this issue for decades. We are still saying Africa needs to be part of the permanent members of the Security Council," she said.
She said the negotiations on Security Council reform have gone on for too long and should now be concluded.
"What we are now saying is that the negotiations have taken place for too long. We need to conclude them so that we can have a representative of the United Nations Security Council," Ashipala-Musavyi said.
She argued that the Council's composition should reflect the realities of the modern world.
"Perhaps the various conflicts that are ongoing in this world are because the UN Security Council is not reflective of the realities that we are seeing today," she said. While Namibia will push its position on global governance, Ashipala-Musavyi said the country is also using UNGA81 as an opportunity to advance its economic diplomacy.
President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah is accompanied by business representatives as part of the government's strategy to combine high-level diplomatic engagements with efforts to attract investment to Namibia.
"The president has decided that whenever she attends a regional or a major international event, she will be accompanied by businesspeople, which speaks to our economic diplomacy," Ashipala-Musavyi said.
She said Namibia has scheduled several business engagements in New York to promote investment opportunities.
The minister said the engagements are informed by Namibia's national priorities and include opportunities in critical minerals, among other sectors.
Ashipala-Musavyi also acknowledged the need for Namibia to continuously improve its investment environment as it competes with other countries for global investment.
"We need to basically improve our system because we are competing with others," she said.
She pointed to the pending Investment Promotion and Facilitation Bill and the establishment of a one-stop shop involving the Business and Intellectual Property Authority, home affairs and immigration, and the Namibia Investment Promotion and Development Board as measures aimed at making it easier for investors to establish operations in Namibia. The minister said the government is also focusing on aftercare for investors once they arrive in the country.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
"It's simply to create an investor-friendly atmosphere, especially in terms of aftercare, taking care of the investors when they come to Namibia," she said.
Meanwhile, Ashipala-Musavyi said president Nandi-Ndaitwah's programme at UNGA81 is even more demanding than last year.
Namibia has several country-led and high-level side events planned, including engagements on water, women, peace and security and the Pact for the Future.
The minister highlighted Namibia's role in hosting a global water partnership and said the country will use the opportunity to promote the achievement of having a global water-related headquarters hosted in the Global South.
Namibia and Germany also co-facilitated the Pact for the Future, which seeks to accelerate implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals.
