President Barack Obama of the US, in a debut address to the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday, has called on the global community to immediately embrace a new era of engagement, based on mutual interests, respect and collective action, to address the challenges of the world.
He said America had sought both in words and deeds, a new era of engagement with the world and now was the time for member nations, together with America to share responsibility to respond to global challenges.
In a speech lasting more than 30 minutes, President Obama proposed what he called "four pillars" for the future: "non-proliferation and disarmament; the promotion of peace and security; the preservation of our planet; and a global economy that advances opportunity for all people."
Ghana's President, John Evans Atta Mills is attending the Assembly for the first time and would make a statement that would be telecast live on Ghana Television on Thursday.
President Obama having been in office for the last nine months acknowledged the expectations that accompanied his presidency around the world.
He said those expectations were rooted in the belief in discontent with a status quo that had allowed the world community to be increasingly defined by differences, and outpaced by problems.
He however noted that the expectations were also rooted in the hope that real change was possible, and hoped that America would be a leader in bringing about such change, dwelling on religious conviction in the hearts of people either to forge new bonds or to tear people apart.
He added that technology that was harnessed could light the path to peace, or forever darken it.
"The energy we use can sustain our planet, or destroy it. What happens to the hope of a single child anywhere - can enrich our world, or impoverish it.
"In this hall, we come from many places, but we share a common future. No longer do we have the luxury of indulging our differences to the exclusion of the work that we must do together. I have carried this message from London to Ankara; from Port of Spain to Moscow; from Accra to Cairo; and it's what I will speak about today. Because the time has come for the world to move in a new direction. We must embrace a new era of engagement based on mutual interests and mutual respect, and our work must begin now.
He called for a move away from rhetoric's to action. "We know the future will be forged by deeds and not simply words. Speeches alone will not solve our problems. It will take persistent action. So for those who question the character and cause of my nation, I ask you to look at the concrete actions that we have taken in just nine months."
President Obama reiterated that his administration prohibited the use of torture by the United States of America, and recalling his order for the closure of the prison at Guantanamo Bay, and reiterated that the US would work with the global body to disrupt, dismantle, and defeat al Qaeda and its extremist allies.
He said the US was responsibly ending the war in Iraq and had removed American combat brigades from Iraqi cities, and set a deadline of next August to remove all of our combat brigades from Iraqi territory, and would further help Iraqi's transition to full responsibility for their future, and keep our commitment to remove all American troops by the end of 2011.
On the conflicts in the Middle East President Obama announced that he had appointed a Special Envoy for Middle East Peace, and America has worked steadily and aggressively to advance the cause of two states - Israel and Palestine - in which peace and security take root, and the rights of both Israelis and Palestinians are respected.
America according to the President, had also invested 80 billion dollars in clean energy, to confront climate change, substantially increased its fuel-efficiency standards with new incentives for conservation and further, launched an energy partnership across the Americas.
President Obama said the USA would work with the G-20 nations to forge a coordinated international response of over two trillion dollars in stimulus to bring the global economy back, and further mobilized resources that helped prevent the crisis from spreading further to developing countries. And we joined with others to launch a $20 billion global food security initiative that will lend a hand to those who need it most, and help them build their own capacity.
"We have also re-engaged the United Nations. We have paid our bills. We have joined the Human Rights Council. We have signed the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. We have fully embraced the Millennium Development Goals. And we address our priorities here, in this institution for instance, through the Security Council meeting that I will chair tomorrow on nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament, and through the issues that I will discuss today".
"This is what we have done. But this is just a beginning. Some of our actions have yielded progress. Some have laid the groundwork for progress in the future. But make no mistake: this cannot be solely America's endeavour. Those who used to chastise America for acting alone in the world cannot now stand by and wait for America to solve the world's problems alone. We have sought - in word and deed a new era of engagement with the world. Now is the time for all of us to take our share of responsibility for a global response to global challenges.
He recalled that the UN was founded on the belief that the nations of the world could solve their problems together, but however chastised the global body of having often become a forum for sowing discord instead of forging common ground; a venue for playing politics and exploiting grievances rather than solving problems.
He said responsibility and leadership in the 21st century demand more than rhetorics, adding that no world order that elevated one nation or group of people over another would succeed
"The time has come to realize that the old habits and arguments are irrelevant to the challenges faced by our people. They lead nations to act in opposition to the very goals that they claim to pursue, and to vote - often in this body - against the interests of their own people. They build up walls between us and the future that our people seek, and the time has come for those walls to come down. Together, we must build new coalitions that bridge old divides - coalitions of different faiths and creeds; of north and south, east and west; black, white, and brown.
"The choice is ours. We can be remembered as a generation that chose to drag the arguments of the 20th century into the 21st; that put off hard choices, refused to look ahead, and failed to keep pace because we defined ourselves by what we were against instead of what we were for.
Or, we can be a generation that chooses to see the shoreline beyond the rough waters ahead; that comes together to serve the common interests of human beings, and finally gives meaning to the promise embedded in the name given to this institution: the United Nations."
He said America will forge lasting partnerships to target terrorists, share intelligence, coordinate law enforcement and permit no safe-haven for al Qaeda to launch attacks from Afghanistan or any other nation.
President Obama pointed out that efforts to promote peace could not be limited to defeating violent extremists, and identified hope as the most powerful weapon since the future belonged to those who build, not destroy; the confidence that conflicts could and a new day begin.
"I will also continue to seek a just and lasting peace between Israel, Palestine, and the Arab world. We continue to call on Palestinians to end incitement against Israel, and we continue to emphasize that America does not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlements.
He said the greatest price of conflict is paid by the vulnerable, adding that there would be no peace in the 21st century unless responsibility was taken from the preservation of the planet earth.
"The danger posed by climate change cannot be denied, and our responsibility to meet it must not be deferred. If we continue down our current course, every member of this Assembly will see irreversible changes within their borders. Our efforts to end conflicts will be eclipsed by wars over refugees and resources. Development will be devastated by drought and famine. Land that human beings have lived on for millennia will disappear. Future generations will look back and wonder why we refused to act - why we failed to pass on intact, the environment that was our inheritance.
"Those wealthy nations that did so much to damage the environment in the 20th century must accept our obligation to lead. But responsibility does not end there. While we must acknowledge the need for differentiated responses, any effort to curb carbon emissions must include the fast-growing carbon emitters. Who can do more to reduce their air pollution without inhibiting growth, and any effort that fails to help the poorest nations, both adapt to the problems that climate change has already wrought and travel a path of clean development will not work.
"It is hard to change something as fundamental as how we use energy. It's even harder to do so in the midst of a global recession. Certainly, it will be tempting to sit back and wait for others to move first. But we cannot make this journey unless we all move forward together. As we head into Copenhagen, let us resolve to focus on what each of us can do for the sake of our common future," President Obama said.
On the global economic crisis, President Obama said the world was still recovering, yet despite the promising signs, there was little certainty about what laid ahead. And far too many people in far too many places live through the daily crises that challenge common humanity
He promised: "In Pittsburgh, we will work with the world's largest economies to chart a course for growth that is balanced and sustained. That means vigilance to ensure that we do not let up until our people are back to work. That means taking steps to rekindle demand, so that a global recovery can be sustained. And that means setting new rules of the road and strengthening regulation for all financial centres, so that we put an end to the greed, excess and abuse that led us into disaster, and prevent a crisis like this from ever happening again.
"At a time of such interdependence, we have a moral and pragmatic interest in broader questions of development. And so we will continue our historic effort to help people feed themselves. We have set aside $63 billion to carry forward the fight against HIV/AIDS; to end deaths from tuberculosis and malaria; to eradicate polio; and to strengthen public health systems. We are joining with other countries to contribute H1N1 vaccines to the World Health Organization. We will integrate more economies into a system of global trade. We will support the Millennium Development Goals, and approach next year's Summit with a global plan to make them a reality. And we will set our sights on the eradication of extreme poverty in our time.
"Now is the time for all of us to do our part. Growth will not be sustained or shared unless all nations embrace their responsibility. Wealthy nations must open their markets to more goods and extend a hand to those with less, while reforming international institutions to give more nations a greater voice. Developing nations must root out the corruption that is an obstacle to progress - for opportunity cannot thrive where individuals are oppressed and businesses have to pay bribes. That's why we will support honest police and independent judges; civil society and a vibrant private sector. Our goal is simple: a global economy in which growth is sustained, and opportunity is available to all.
However the President observed that the changes would not be easy, and would only be realised if leaders would come together to take actions.
"For as in any assembly of members, real change can only come through the people we represent. That is why we must do the hard work to lay the groundwork for progress in our own capitals. That is where we will build the consensus to end conflicts and to harness technology for peaceful purposes; to change the way we use energy, and to promote growth that can be sustained and shared.
"I believe that the people of the world want this future for their children. And that is why we must champion those principles, which ensure that governments reflect the will of the people. These principles cannot be afterthoughts - democracy and human rights are essential to achieving each of the goals that I have discussed today."
"As an African-American, I will never forget that I would not be here today without the steady pursuit of a more perfect union in my country. That guides my belief that no matter how dark the day may seem transformative change can be forged by those who choose the side of justice. And I pledge that America will always stand with those who stand up for their dignity and their rights - for the student who seeks to learn; the voter who demands to be heard; the innocent who longs to be free; and the oppressed who yearns to be equal.
"Democracy cannot be imposed on any nation from the outside. Each society must search for its own path, and no path is perfect. Each country will pursue a path rooted in the culture of its people, and in the past America has too often been selective in its promotion of democracy. But that does not weaken our commitment, it only reinforces it.
There are basic principles that are universal; there are certain truths which are self evident and the United States of America will never waiver in our efforts to stand up for the right of people everywhere to determine their own destiny."