The United Nations General Assembly (Unga) is, by all means, a club of big leaders—individuals whose voices resonate with authority in that magnificent hall, characterised by its majestic architecture and symbolic design.
For those not in the know, the hall where the Unga convenes features a large, tiered seating arrangement that accommodates representatives from all member states.
However, when African leaders—the majority of them—stand to address the assembly, they often do so in front of empty seats.
Why?
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Because, no matter how many threats they issue or how eloquent their speeches may be, they remain negligible in the broader context of global affairs.
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That grand hall, its backdrop dominated by a striking green marble wall and its ceiling showcasing a stunning chandelier, is a venue for leaders whose threats can be taken seriously.
It is not for those who warn that the debt trap their countries are entangled in poses a danger to the creditors themselves.
This echoes what some government officials have previously stated: that our creditors’ failure to restructure our repayment terms could lead to our default.
You would think that would be in our best interest, if you paid scant attention to the threat.
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In reality, no country in the world has emerged victorious from defaulting on its debt obligations.
The substantial risk lies in being declared not creditworthy and failing to secure further loans for whatever needs arise—for our case, our yawning budget deficit, which is sometimes exacerbated for political expediency and cannot be funded by domestic revenue and grants.
Returning to the Unga speeches: President Lazarus Chakwera addressed the assembly on Thursday and, as he has done before, issued empty warnings to wealthy nations regarding Malawi and other developing countries’ debt crisis.
The President cautioned that rich countries risk catching what he termed the debt cancer affecting poorer nations such as Malawi if they do not swiftly assist us.
He cited some wealthy nations’ refusal to honour climate financing pledges and named it as one of the contributing factors to the debt crisis.
Regarding climate financing pledges, which remain at the discretion of those making the pledges, there is more to discuss.
However, this is not the core matter of this entry; that will be addressed in the coming weeks, as it is an issue of interest to Malawi, which, unfortunately, is not understood by key stakeholders, including government officials who are supposed to draft proposals for accessing the available climate funds.
In reality, no amount of threats or strong-arming will compel rich nations to comply simply because they feel obliged to do so.
That is why they left what is supposed to be a hall of diversity—visible only through the flags of member nations that hang prominently along the walls of the magnificent structure on the banks of the East River—when it was time for our President and other leaders from poorer countries to address them.
They most likely retreated to the ‘big boys rooms’ where they discussed real issues, assured of returning home with something tangible.
In such a hall, where the atmosphere is meant to be both formal and dynamic, reflecting the important discussions that take place within its walls, it is unfortunate that our leaders receive no attention at all.
In fact, they would do their countries a great service by boycotting the assembly and focusing on meetings that could yield tangible results to boost their economies.
In the meantime, with the current setup, where our leaders are left to speak to empty chairs in a building that is supposed to be a powerful venue for international diplomacy, we are the biggest losers.
They shift millions of dollars to New York, one of the world’s most expensive cities, and spend weeks achieving little of worth.
No wonder the wealthy nations simply dismiss our leaders when they advocate for debt relief and various forms of financial support, especially when they cannot manage to safeguard the little they have.
Some African leaders— recognising how negligible their voices are at forums such as the Unga—choose to protect their limited resources and refrain from travelling to a place where they are relegated to the lowest rung of the ladder of global affairs.
