Burning Issues
President Paul Biya who arrived in New York yesterday, September 20, 2010 will be attending a summit that is of special importance and significance as far as the realities of effective globalisation and peace are concerned. Convened by the UN General Assembly and chaired by the Assembly’s incoming and out-going Presidents, H.E Joseph Deiss of Switzerland and H.E Dr Ali Abdussalam Treki of Libya, the session, among other burning issues, focuses on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) initiated and launched in 2000.
With only five years to get to 2015 when the MDGs were targeted to have reduced, if not considerably alleviated poverty, combated effectively AIDS, Malaria and TB and improved on infrastructure, the MDGs though greeted with cynicism at its launch is today said to have at least had some breakthroughs. Malaria, measles and TB controls are said to have given some meaning to the MDGs initiative.
Besides, there is no doubt that despite destruction still going on in Somalia, the situations in Sierra-Leone, Liberia, Dafur and the Congo are no longer very disturbing and alarming. Despite all that can be considered evident progress towards meeting the MDGs target in 2015, many observers believe a lot more has to be done as far as trade, infrastructure, environmental protection, socio-economic development and the prevention of epidemics are concerned.
With about 140 World Leaders attending the 65th session of this UN General Session, including President Paul Biya of Cameroon, and with a variety of socio-economic presentations, we do not need to doubt the importance of the summit. As far as the challenges of the MDGs and the contributions of individual nations are concerned, President Biya is one of those Heads of State to present papers. Another high point of his presence in New York before the end of the General Assembly session is that the Cameroon leader and the Secretary General would chair one of the debate sessions.
The challenge for all member nations of the UN is therefore to give the MDGs the meaning the initiative deserves. That is what the Cameroon Head of State accompanied by a strong entourage to the UN will be seeking to define in New York.
SHEY Peter MABU
