The President of the United Nations General Assembly Abdulla Shahid speaks with Manish Kumar Jha of The Financial Express on the responsibility and actions amid the widening global conflicts. He emphasized the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) and the prevention of genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity. Many states felt that translating early warning into early action remains a challenge. It is perceived that UN has been slow to respond on some of the critical global conflicts in Myanmar, Ethiopia, Syria, Yemen and elsewhere. While United Nations merits commendation for what it has been able to achieve in its peacekeeping and humanitarian effort worldwide, says Shahid.
Manish K. Jha: UN emphasized the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) and the prevention of genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity. Many states emphasized that translating early warning into early action remains a challenge. It is perceived that UN has been slow to respond on some of the critical global conflicts in Myanmar, Ethiopia, Syria, Yemen and elsewhere. How do you want look at such issues?
UNGA President: The Presidency is for one year. We have tried our best to not let hope go away. Hope that we can do better. Since 1945, yes, the United Nations is going through a lot. If you list, we can come up with many values. But also, if at least, we can come up with many, many successes. So, an organization which has a membership of 193 in an evolving and dynamic political environment. With crisis after crisis, it’s going to be simply a miracle to get everything solved during one year. But I think the United Nations merits commendation for what it has been able to achieve.
Manish K. Jha: If we focus on some of the critical problem in this part of the world, for example, starting with Myanmar’s Rohingya population as they were forced to flee the country after the military operations in Rakhine State in August 2017, bringing the total number of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh to over 1 million. What are the resolves? What is the way out in the UN General Assembly?
UNGA President: United Nations General Assembly with the 193 member states symbolizes the international conscious. When we speak, we send the message that this is what the international conscious is and the condemnation of the way that refugees are being treated. Debate, human rights violations are taking place around the world which clearly demonstrate the international community’s desire not to tolerate such violations. That is important it is also important that we don’t deviate from the principles enshrined in the United Nations Charter. As I said earlier, it’s not a perfect world. All we can do is make more efforts and I have appealed to Member States to continue exerting more in that aspect. For example, the migration review Forum was held during the 76th presidency, a forum which is very divisive. But if you look at the records, this is the first-time Migration Review Forum has been held since the inception of the compact on migration. It’s our standing that under this very toxic international environment, member states decided to adopt the declration without a word by consensus, increasing the reach out to many countries that were clearly opposed to even the compact itself.
Manish K. Jha: While the world does appreciate UN for all the good works, there are pressing issues which are widely discussed, but not being raised by the UN. For example, resolve against China for genocide against the Muslim Uyghur population. There are not much many sessions and condemnation which have come up against China. How could UN ignore such issues?
UNGA President: United Nations is made up of member states. It’s 193 members. United Nations is what the member states make it to be. And on the specific issue that you have mentioned, is an issue that is being dealt by the Human Rights Council of the United Nations in Geneva.
Manish K. Jha: India is at forefront of counter-terrorism and the annual resolution tabled by India “Measures to prevent terrorists from acquiring weapons of mass destruction” was co-sponsored by more than 75 countries and adopted by consensus in First Committee of UN General Assembly. Could you highlight some the initiatives to strengthen the mechanism?
UNGA President: when it comes to terrorism. We have to be very clear that terrorism has no ethnicity has no religion has nothing. Nothing except evil. The only way to fight evil is by uniting. And the United Nations needs to unite totally against this horrendous evil that is scourge many parts of the world. There is no excuse.
Manish K. Jha: This is in your as the foreign minister of Maldives. There is a spiralling economic crisis which we see in the subcontinent, beginning from Sri Lanka. Could you give us some insights on the Maldives’s economic situation at the moment?
UNGA President: Maldives is a small island, middle income country. Of course, we were very badly hit during the Covid pandemic because our tourism industry is our number one industry. And when the world went into lockdown, we didn’t have any tourists from a middle-income country, we came to a zero-income country overnight, then just imagine how it would have been. But we were able to work with our neighbours, especially India, which came to our existence by offering us a bubble travel arrangement, whereby Indian tourists were able to visit Maldives under strict protocols. And that made sure that even at the height of the pandemic in 2020, we had half a million tourists in the Maldives, and most of them from India. Since then, the economy has improved. We have received close to 1.8 million tourists last year. Our targets are higher this year. However, the conflict in Europe has affected the market again. But we are very hopeful that we will be heading to record numbers again during this year on tourist. Overall, the economy is doing well. The prospects are good. But in an interconnected world today, when food prices are soaring, the fuel prices are surging, and crisis after crisis is hitting the smallest and the most vulnerable, it gets hit first and the worst. So, we have to be always on it at.
Manish K. Jha: President, you said– you are a small country but you are strategically placed and you take your responsibility very seriously in the Indian Ocean. Look at the way, while Sri Lanka is facing severe economic crisis, Chinese warship was docked to further instigate tensions in the region? How do we collectively ensure a peaceful Indian Ocean region? How are we countering to that?
UNGA President: For us in the Maldives, it’s very clear, a stable and prosperous Maldives is essential to stability and prosperity in the Indian Ocean. Similarly, stability and prosperity in the Indian Ocean is essential for stability and prosperity in the Maldives. So, it is something that we will never compromise.
Manish K. Jha: I understand there is ongoing discussion on political agreement on the peaceful use of outer space, the fourth proposal, including a commitment to negotiate an international instrument to prevent an arms race. What are you planning on this?
UNGA President: The first committee is seized of the matter. It is still under discussion. You know, it’s a new area, even for the General Assembly. There have been some new groups that have been constituted in the first committee since once the committee decides it comes to the President of the General Assembly (PGA). But I think these discussions are still ongoing. But it is a very important subject. Member states are all seized of this.