Posted by By Bekai Njie
His Excellency, President Adama Barrow has said that a key message from African Head of State, including himself at the 73rdOrdinary Session UN General Assembly is that Africa wants to be well represented in the UN, especially the Security Council.
Speaking to reporters at the airport upon his return from New York over the weekend, the president said the trip was a good one and the summit was well attended. President Barrow said the theme: “Making the UN Relevant to All Peoples: Global Leadership and Shared Responsibilities for Peaceful, Equitable and Sustainable Societies” was very important as it focuses on equality in the world body.
“The UNGA is a world ‘Bantaba,’ bringing together different views from around the world. However, the main focus was equality. Africa wants to be well represented in the UN, especially the Security Council. We need permanent representation in the Security Council and I think that was a unanimous message from Africa,” he said.
On the sideline of the summit, President Barrow held series of meetings with Gambia’s partners. He described these as “very important” for The Gambia as the country was disconnected from its traditional partners for long. President Barrow said his government is working hard to bring Gambia back to its traditional role among the community of nations.
“We held meetings with the Organisation of the Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Secretary General, Dr. Youssef bin Ahmed Al-Othaimeen. We also held meetings with the chairman of the Christian Mission of the UN.