Geingob to address UN general assembly

President Hage Geingob is set to address the United Nations General Assembly on Friday.

Geingob is expected to highlight issues pertaining to safety and security in Africa, green hydrogen, Namibia’s upper middle class status and the country’s role in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), according to presidential press secretary, Alfred Hengari.

Speaking to Desert Radio from New York yesterday, Hengari said that Geingob commenced with a ‘hectic schedule’ on Tuesday were he participated in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) summit which is looking at the implementation of 17 goals, in which Namibia will play a critical role next year, as one of the co-chairs of the ‘Summit for the Future’ alongside the Federal Republic of Germany.

President Geingob had a bilateral meeting with German chancellor Olaf Scholz on Tuesday, when the two leaders discussed a number of issues, among them their co-leadership of the ‘UN summit of the future’ which looks at the implementation of the goals and their recalibration.

“This is because today the world is at the midpoint of the SDGs and there is a realisation that a number of goals have not been met and we need to think with urgency as to how these goals can be recalibrated,” Hengari said.

Geingob was also scheduled to speak at the SDGs summit where he dwelled on Namibia’s efforts as far as financing the goals are concerned.

“Namibia is classified as a middle income country and this has affected the country adversely in terms of attracting grants and development finance at competitive rates. So, president Geingob will raise these issues at the summit,” Hengari said.

Weighing in on the country’s classification issue, international relations expert Marius Kudumo maintained that while it is commendable for Geingob to highlight the issue of Namibia as an upper middle class country and the disadvantages that emanates from it, it is also high time that the country aspires to ascend to a higher developmental classification.

“The issue to ask ourselves is, are we not supposed to move to a state of desired development?” Kudumo queried.

“Because I think, we have been complaining too much about being an upper middle income country, while we are supposed to desire to become a developed state,” Kudumo said, adding that the development of Namibia is the prerogative of Namibians with the assistance of the rest of the world.

“Are we saying that our development is dependent on other countries? I do not think that we have taken the right approach,” he said.

Hengari, however, maintained that Geingob, who is listed as the fourth speaker during the general debate, will outline Namibia’s vision of the challenges facing them.

“The president will speak to the type of solutions that Namibia would like to offer to the challenges of climate change where the project of green hydrogen will feature prominently. He will also speak about conflicts in Africa and how they affect development in the continent as well as on health pandemics,” Hengari said.