President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah used the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York to advance the country's development priorities, advocate for global peace and stability, and engage potential investors.
Speaking upon her return home, Nandi-Ndaitwah said Namibia participated in discussions centred on restoring trust in the United Nations, the right to development and the protection of the oceans.
The head of state says ongoing instability in different parts of the world has contributed to a perception among citizens that the UN is not fully delivering on its mandate.
The theme of the General Assembly, "Restoring trust, managing transformation: A United Nations that delivers for all." Dr Nandi-Ndaitwah said comes against a backdrop of concerns over the UN's ability to fulfil its mandate, particularly in maintaining international peace and stability.
She said member states therefore recommitted themselves to taking individual and collective action to restore public confidence in the organisation.
"When it comes to the development, the main focus now is the Pact for the Future, which is aimed at speeding up the implementation of the DG. Some of the topics are the right to development, so that's why there was a specific side event in which Namibia participated talking about the right to development and that every citizen of the world has the right to development, including the one in the deep rural area of any member state of the UN. And then the concern about the ocean, which is sustaining all of us. Again, there were two side events in which Namibia participated, in fact, Namibia chaired one of the sessions. We must safeguard our ocean."
The Namibian delegation also engaged business communities and potential investors in the United States, where Namibia presented its priority areas, including agriculture, sports, the creative industries, health, education, housing, land and sanitation.
"Because that is where now we are looking for investment, for us to get necessary resources to take care of these priorities. So one of them we talk about is mining, we talk about energy, renewable energy, and others, and then the oil and gas that is coming to Namibia. So there's quite a number that have promised, but promises have promised. We are waiting now, and the line ministries, that is now the Ministry of International Relations and Trade, have to follow up using the Namibia Investment Board."
The President says Namibia has also made it clear that investments should prioritise value addition and job creation to ensure that the country's natural resources contribute directly to economic opportunities for Namibians.