26 Sep 2024

Governments are responsible for creating conditions that enable peace to thrive within their countries, President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi has said.

He told  the 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday that key steps governments should take for peace to prevail included building effective institutions, committing to good governance, protecting human rights, and upholding democratic values.

The President  said  Botswana’s long track record of commitment to democratic principles was the primary reason the country continued to be a beacon of peace, tranquility and stability.

“Implementing recommendations from our recently concluded constitutional review process and our upcoming elections on October 30,  provide opportunities to deepen our democracy and strengthen our governance credentials,” said President Masisi.

He expressed disdain for wars that continued to spiral out of control across the globe, including the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the Ukraine war that rages on with no end in sight leading to the loss of innocent lives..

These skirmishes, he stated, had resulted in catastrophic humanitarian crises and unprecedented killings of civilians, children, as well as humanitarian workers.

He thus called upon warring parties to seek political solutions to their prevailing circumstances and ultimately silence the guns.

On the Israeli-Palestinian war, Dr Masisi said the two nations should commit to a political process that would culminate in the realisation of a two-state solution of peace and security based on the pre-1967 borders.

The need for respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine in line with the United Nations charter and international law was a key ingredient to quelling the Russian-Ukraine war, observed President Masisi.

“We also call on parties to give diplomacy and dialogue a chance and seek a peaceful resolution,” he said, adding that armed conflict, terrorism and potentially explosive geopolitical tension playing itself out in the African continent was not helping the situation.

That being the case, President Masisi commended bodies such as the African Union and the UN for their continued efforts to address the situation.

Dr Masisi told the general assembly that only 17 per cent of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were on track, while the rest ranged from moderate progress to stagnation and even regression, something he said required double efforts to turn around.

He said scaling up action investment in areas which lagged, particularly poverty eradication, was vital.

He thus stated that Botswana endorsed the call for comprehensive social protection systems and inclusive economic policy. ENDS