Geingob challenges Trump

President Hage Geingob says the world cannot rest until the United States, and by implication its head of state Donald Trump, lifts “the decades-old, outdated, ineffective and counterproductive economic and financial embargo of Cuba”.While addressing the United Nations General Assembly yesterday, as he touched on a number of issues including global peace and security, Geingob made specific mention of Cuba, Palestine and Western Sahara.“The time is now for all of us to demonstrate the leadership required to bring prosperity and peace to all the world's people. It is time to lead in the spirit of peace, in the spirit of equality and in the spirit of sustainability. “It is time to make the United Nations relevant to all the world's people. Let us take up the challenge,” Geing“It is time to make the United Nations relevant to all the world's people. Let us take up the challenge,” Geingob said.Geingob again called for a comprehensive reform of the UN Security Council. “Africa's right to have an equal say in decision-making on issues that affect the African region and the world at large should be respected. “It is equally time that Africa's contribution to peace and security on its own soil and the world by extension, including through the blood of its own peacekeepers, is recognised as a fundamental contribution to peace,” he said.He once again expressed his ire over Namibia's classification as an upper-middle-income nation.He said this prevents the country from accessing not only globally reduced official development assistance (ODA), but also affordable and concessional financing. “The situation has the potential to jeopardise efforts in Namibia and other developing countries to fully achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development,” Geingob said.“Therefore, it is pertinent that we avoid pursuing solutions that might create additional layers of inequality, be it in the areas of ICT or financing, thus regressing socio-economic gains made by countries in a similar situation.”Geingob called on Namibia's development partners to ensure that their ODA commitments are fulfilled and that foreign direct investment inflows, and technology transfers on mutually agreed terms, are increased. “Let us enhance cooperation to curb illicit financial flows, tax evasion and avoidance, and corruption through the strict implementation of the available international instruments.”He said Namibia recognises there are existing and emerging threats and challenges that continue to frustrate individual and collective efforts to achieve greater economic development and social progress. He said the country would certainly wish to benefit from the assistance rendered through the Technology Bank established in Istanbul on 4 June, in order to enable it to timeously identify the spatial locations of drought and floods areas.Geingob said while Namibia has seen sustained economic growth over much of the last ten years, its level of unemployment regretfully remains high. “Nevertheless, Namibia has observed one of the fastest reductions of poverty levels in our region over the last 10 years - from 28.8% to 17.4%. I am also happy to inform that life expectancy in Namibia has risen from 58 to 65 years. Child mortality, however, still remains a challenge.”Geingob also quoted the late South African president Nelson Mandela when he said: “As long as poverty, injustice and gross inequality persist in our world, none of us can truly rest.”“As a people who have known the pain of poverty, injustice and gross inequality, we cannot truly rest until we witness the implementation of all relevant UN resolutions and decisions, which will lead to a positive, peaceful and permanent solution that meets the aspirations and will of the people of Western Sahara. “We cannot truly rest until the people of the occupied territory of Palestine are allowed to pursue their inalienable right to self-determination, justice, freedom and independence, through political, diplomatic, peaceful and non-violent means,” Geingob added. STAFF REPORTER

Geingob challenges Trump

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Namibian Sun 2025-12-31

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Geingob challenges Trump

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Namibian Sun 2025-12-31

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