South Sudan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday held a stakeholders’ consultative meeting in Juba in preparation for the upcoming 79th Summit of the Future at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
The meeting aimed to review South Sudan’s position on global sustainable development, and financing, international peace, and security, science, technology and innovation and digital cooperation.
The workshop brought together stakeholders from the academia, think tanks, civil society, private sector, youth, women, donors, development partners, the World Bank and IMF.
Speaking during the opening, the Director General of Multilateral Cooperation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Deng Deng Nhial, said the meeting aimed to highlight what has been achieved and to come up with a unified position on the Global UN summit.
“Today’s event is an important gathering in the context of global multilateralism. It is about the summit, which will take place on September 22 – 23 in New York, before the opening of the General Assembly, debate of the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly 2024,” Deng said.
“Member states pledged to strengthen global governance in their declaration on the 75th anniversary of the United Nations,” Deng added,
The Deputy Special Representative of Secretary General and the UN Resident Coordinator in South Sudan, Kiki Gbeho, said the workshop provided national stakeholders and collaborators an opportunity to contribute ideas to inform South Sudan’s national position.
“The theme of the summit is multilateral solutions for a better tomorrow and presents a once in a generation opportunity to enhance cooperation towards delivering a better present, while safeguarding the future. This national consultation is an important part of South Sudan’s preparation for the summit,” said Gbeho.
The 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly marks a crucial milestone in the global effort to accelerate progress towards the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The highly anticipated Summit of the Future, underscores the urgent need for enhanced international cooperation to address pressing challenges such as climate change, poverty and inequality, while also tackling the impacts of ongoing conflicts and global health crises.