By Kazembe Batts
IG: @kazbatts
Outgoing President Joe Biden gave a broad-ranging speech to the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday, September 24th. This was his fourth and last time speaking to the assembled heads of state, foreign ministers, and other diplomats, and it lasted almost 30 minutes. Biden shared his perspective on world history since he was first elected a senator in 1972. “America was at a reflection point with the Cold War, Vietnam, and the Middle East conflict,” but “things can get better,” he expressed while claiming a role as senator to help end apartheid in South Africa, as vice-president helping to end the war in Iraq and as president ending the war in Afghanistan.
Biden spoke about some specific Black issues. Standing at the podium, he stated, “We must move quickly to face the Mpox outbreak in Africa. To prevent and respond, the US is prepared to donate one million vaccines and five hundred million dollars, and we urge the rest of the world to match.” Regarding Sudan, Biden said, “A bloody civil war unleashed one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises…eight million on the brink of famine…. the world needs to stop arming the generals…stop blocking aid to the Sudanese people, end this war now!”
The upcoming election in Ghana and LGBT activism in Uganda, as well as the inspiration of Nelson Mandela, were also mentioned during his speech. Although the deployment is not an official United Nations mission, Biden used his general assembly address to praise the controversial deployment of Kenyan forces allegedly sent to help stabilize Haiti.
Besides the seemingly mandatory topics of “the right for Israel to exist and be secure” and the condemnation of the Iranian state, the scope of issues the American president touched on ranged from climate change to leaders voluntarily giving up power to the potential dangers of artificial intelligence.
Not least in importance to many African/Black leaders present was his statement that “we must build a stronger, more effective and more inclusive United Nations that needs new voices and perspectives therefore the US supports expanding the membership of the United Nations Security Council.”
During a concise 12-minute presentation, Senegal’s recently elected President Bassirou Diomaye Faye concurred with Biden on security council reform, stating, “It is vital that we safeguard and strengthen multilateralism … an urgent reform of global institutions, namely the security council, the IMF, the World Bank, so that these institutions become more inclusive and reflect economic and geopolitical realities of our time.”
The youthful leader mentioned problematic examples of economic injustice, such as illegal trade, tax evasion, illicit financial flows, and abusive tax systems plaguing the global south, especially Africa.
Regarding climate change, he challenged the industrialized West arguing that “the industrial countries historically responsible for mass greenhouse gas emissions must step up their efforts to finance a just and equitable energy transition that does not penalize developing nations.” Reiterating the need to respect diversity, the Senegal’s president closed out by asserting that “we must thwart any attempt to impose unilateral ways of existing and civilizational models.”
Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley of Barbados, who is highly regarded among diplomats, continued her relentless advocacy for Black people. During her turn to address the assembled, she said, “We cannot afford to perpetuate the colonial legacy, where some nations control the fate of others while ignoring their legitimate aspiration for development, justice, and equality.
This is why the Caribbean Community and Barbados join the growing call for reparations for slavery and colonialism. The scars of these historical injustices run deep. They are not merely a distant memory, but an ongoing reality for descendants of African people across the globe.”