There are strong indications that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu would not be attending this year’s United Nations General Assembly, preferring instead to stay home and confront some of the current challenges in the country, Empowered Newswire reports.
The President who just returned back from a trip to China where he attended the China Africa Forum and a stopover in the United Kingdom to meet with King Charles briefly, is said to have instructed that Vice President Kashim Shettima should represent him at this year’s UN meeting which is themed the Summit of the Future.
Presidency sources hinted Empowered Newswire this morning that “the President just came back from China and the UK, and the next day flew immediately to Maiduguri to see for himself the extent of damage, so he is not favourably disposed to the idea of travelling out again so soon, but rather wants to concentrate at home for the time being, so he can better deal with some of the pressing challenges.”
A formal announcement is now being awaited from the Office of the Vice President who is expected to stand in for President Tinubu in New York early next week.
However several members of the Federal Executive Council who would be participating at the United Nations have started making their way including Minister of Defence, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Minister of Solid Minerals and the Minister of the Environment.
The UN Summit of the Future will precede the United Nations General Debate where the heads of states and governments gather annually at the General Assembly.
Themed the Summit of the Future: Multilateral Solutions for A Better Tomorrow the summit will hold from Sunday September 22 to Monday, the 23rd of September at the United Nations Headquarters, New York, while the General Debate under the auspices of the United Nations General Assembly, UNGA commences on Tuesday September 24.
According to the Concept Notes for the Interactive Dialogues of the Summit of the Future, one of the issues to be discussed include the urgent need for reform of the global financial architecture, which has been an ongoing concern in global and international relations.
According to Concept Note on the dialogues received from the UN Secretariat by Empowered Newswire, “significant changes are underway to modernize the system to respond more effectively to current global challenges such as poverty, climate change, conflicts and address all forms of inequalities while accelerating progress to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.
“There is a recognized need for change, including to increase liquidity and ease pressure on developing countries, which
are facing severe economic difficulties such as debt crises, inflation, and the impacts of climate change.
“The interactive dialogue will address critical issues concerning global economic stability, development financing, and the equitable management of global economic resources.
“The dialogue will focus on several key aspects such as debt relief initiatives, global financial regulations, innovative financing for development, and inclusive and effective international tax cooperation.”
Credit:EmpoweredNewswire.ng