President of the 76th United Nations General Assembly, H.E Abdulla Shahid has condemned travel bans to African countries where the new coronavirus variant Omicron have been reported.
Shahid stated this in an exclusive interview with News Central TV anchor Gbenga Aborowa.
He explained that his tenure as the UNGA President will be focused on the betterment of all humanity, “reasons why I chose presidency for all as my theme so that we can give a message of hope to the world”
He stated that the past few months has been mostly challenging especially due to covid-19. It has however been “a time of giving hope amid the despair, death and frustration.”
To achieve this, he’s structured his policy thrust on five rays of hope namely:
- Recovering from Covid-19. We must recover for the human race to move on. Vaccination is key to recover. We must vaccinate the world. It is unacceptable for most citizens in developing world not to be vaccinated.
- Rebuilding sustainably throught the SDGs
- Responding to the needs of the planet: Mother earth is in pain. There is global warming and climate change and this existential issue must be attended to.
- Respecting the rights of all. Human rights will be given priority. Our vulnerable groups like women and young girls will be given consideration.
- Revitalising the UN. We need to make the UN strong and more relevant. We must ensure Africa is represented on the UNSC.
Shahid, 59, is a highly seasoned diplomat and was elected chairman of the 76th United Nations General Assembly on July 7,2021.