UN General Assembly begins general debate

UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 19– The General Debate of the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly opened here Tuesday, focusing on restoring global trust and solidarity in current challenging time. Dennis Francis, president of the 78th session of the UN General Assembly, presided over the opening of the debate, which is themed “Rebuilding trust and…

UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) — The General Debate of the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly opened here Tuesday, focusing on restoring global trust and solidarity in current challenging time.

Dennis Francis, president of the 78th session of the UN General Assembly, presided over the opening of the debate, which is themed “Rebuilding trust and reigniting global solidarity: Accelerating action on the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals towards peace, prosperity, progress and sustainability for all.”

In his opening speech, Francis stressed the importance of uniting nations to tackle global challenges.

“This year, our imperative is clear: to unite the nations, to be united in conviction of common purpose and in solidarity of joint action,” he said.

He said the world has the capacity to effect change if there is the will to act.

“Despite the many and complex challenges we face, we do have the capacity to effect change, consequential change … What we lack is the will to act,” said Francis. “By putting aside our differences and bridging divides, we can deliver, we must deliver peace, progress, prosperity, and sustainability to everyone, everywhere. So let us step up and take action now.” Enditem