Prime Minister Hailemariam Dessalegn of Ethiopia addresses the general debate of the General Assembly’s seventy-first session. UN Photo/Cia Pak
21 September 2016 – As much as social
media offers a digital platform to improve exchange of information and enhance
popular participation, its attendant negative impacts simply cannot be ignored,
Hailemariam Dessalegn, the Prime Minister of Ethiopia, told the United Nations
General Assembly today.
“In fact, we are seeing how misinformation could easily
go viral via social media and mislead many people, especially the youth,” he said in
his address to the annual general debate, adding: “Social media has certainly
empowered populists and other extremists to exploit people's genuine concerns
and spread their message of hate and bigotry without any inhibition."
On other global challenges, he said international peace
and stability is facing greater risks with the rise of geo-political tensions
and the growing threats posed by “all shades” of terrorist groups. Moreover,
the global economy has not yet rebounded from the financial crisis.
Further, “it is critical to underline one critical
matter which is usually given short shrift, both by the media and others. It is
simply hypocritical to deny that some of our countries have been targets for
destabilization activities carried out with no accountability by people and
groups who have been given shelters by states with whom we have absolutely no
problems,” he stressed.
It is under these challenging circumstances that
countries are striving to implement the new UN transformational agenda,
including the Sustainable Development Goals, and, obviously, he said, there are
no easy solutions to these complex issues. “The situation is much more
pronounced specially for least developed countries like us which are making
every possible effort to […] escape from the poverty trap.”
“We believe our vision is right and we are determined
to get there. Whatever challenges and shortcomings we may have, we don't have
difficulty owning up to them and we will make every- possible effort to deal
with them in close consultation, cooperation and participation of our people,”
Prime Minister Dessalegn said, noting that there is no better testimony for the
resolve Ethiopia had shown in this regard than the way it had handled this past
year’s devastating El-Nino.
At the same time, he said Ethiopia could not simply
“wish away” the challenges it is facing. Indeed, they need collective and
coordinated responses “and we are always ready willing to continue to
contribute positively in close partnership with others in our region and beyond
in tackling these challenges.
Source: un.org
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