In his farewell address to the worldwide body, the president defended globalism and railed against nationalism and isolation.
Advertisement
The president is running late.
“This is the paradox that defines the world today”, Obama said, adding that the world could not afford to “dismiss these visions”. “They are powerful. They reflect dissatisfaction among too many of our citizens”.
Photo taken on September 19, 2016 shows the United Nations High-level plenary meeting on addressing large movements of refugees and migrants at UN headquarters in NY, the United States. “For we have shown that we can choose a better history”, Obama said.
For leaders to speak at the Obama summit, they will have to make substantial new pledges to either take in more refugees, do more to help those who have already arrived or give much greater assistance to host countries in the developing world, where 86% of the world’s refugees live.
US President Barack Obama on Tuesday said the global order has been so successful that China and India remain on a path of “remarkable growth”. The president further cautioning against “the same forces of global integration” that have made democracies interdependent while also exposing “deep fault lines in the existing worldwide order” like gaps between the rich and poor created by capitalism throughout the world.
Obama was well-received when he arrived at the United Nations in 2009 and vowed to shift USA tactics toward collective action rather than the more unilateral approach of President George W. Bush. Diplomats gathering in NY this week have contended with terror threats at close range, with a blast injuring dozens in Manhattan as the United Nations convened nearby, as well as a stabbing plot at a mall in Minnesota and a pipe bomb in New Jersey.
With the truce still fragile, no sign yet of humanitarian aid deliveries, and supporters and opponents of the Syrian government trading accusations, diplomats said there may be a meeting Tuesday of some 20 key countries on both sides who are part of the International Syria Support Group to chart the next steps. On Monday, a humanitarian aid convoy was bombed in the city of Aleppo, casting further doubt about whether the pact with Russian Federation would survive.
The global chaos facing the leaders was made even starker in the past two days with the attacks in New York City and the deadly attack on a United Nations humanitarian convoy in Syria, where a cease-fire is teetering on collapse.
“We must reject any forms of fundamentalism or racism”, President Obama says, as he turns to the importance of embracing tolerance. This will also be the last time U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon of South Korea attends in his current capacity.
The US has traditionally been the second speaker in the General Debate after Brazil.
“A world in which 1 percent of humanity controls as much wealth as the other 99 percent will never be stable”, Obama said. “We see protests responding to western newspaper cartoons that caricature the prophet Mohammed”.
The president touched lightly on topic of refugees, encouraging countries to “open their hearts” to those fleeing violence.
Advertisement
The president was scheduled to lead a special summit on refugees Tuesday afternoon.
