‘Silence all the guns’

UN ADDRESS: RAMAPHOSA DEMANDS SHIFT FROM WAR TO DEVELOPMENT

- Eric Mthobeli Naki

President Cyril Ramaphosa has called for the reform of multilateral trade and for a coercive approach in world trade to stop.

He said nations should rather affirm the World Trade Organisation as a capable sole global body to manage and resolve trade differences among nations.

Ramaphosa, who was addressing the opening session of the 80th UN General Assembly debate high-level segment, said it was concerning that geopolitical shocks and unprecedented trade policy volatility were destabilising the global economy and jeopardising critical development financing sources.

He took a veiled swipe at US President Donald Trump’s inward-looking trade policy approach and America’s decades-long economic blockade of Cuba.

"Unilateral trade practices and the economic coercion have a detrimental impact on many nations. This includes the economic embargo against Cuba, which has caused untold damage to the country’s economy over the years. That unfair embargo must be lifted," Ramaphosa said.