21 September 2017 – Without deeper international cooperation and reform in the international system, the gap between the rich and the poor will persist, President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe today warned in his address to the General Assembly debate.
Praising the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development as “ambitious, revolutionary, transformative, universal and encompassing every single facet of human life,” he noted that its success demands a radical and unprecedented paradigm shift.
“For us in Africa, the current antiquated system perpetuates a historic injustice, one that can never ever be justified today,” Mr. Mugabe said. “The 2030 Agenda represents new wine, and we call for a new wineskin lest we ruin the new wine.”
Among the reforms the veteran leader noted called for was the reorganization of the Security Council, and greater emphasis discourse among nations.
“We are left to wonder, justifiably so, whether those who enjoy, and sometimes abuse the power and privileges of the current set up, are sincere interlocutors in these discussions,” he said.
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