Credit: Gary Raynaldo /   Representatives of The Elders, (Chair) Madame  Mary Robinson, former president of Ireland  (left)  and Madame Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, former president of Liberia,  speak on a range of global issues at a press conference at UN world headquarters in New York June 11,  2019.

By Gary Raynaldo     DIPLOMATIC TIMES

UNITED NATIONS    – UN Secretary-General António Guterres  Tuesday met with representatives of the Elders Board, an independent group of global leaders working together for peace and human rights, including Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, former President of Liberia and Nobel Peace Laureate; Mary Robinson, Chair of the Elders, former President of Ireland and former High Commissioner for Human Rights; and Ban Ki-Moon, former Secretary-General of the United Nations.  Madame Robinson and Madame Johnson Sirleaf addressed a range on issues at a press conference  ahead of Wednesday’s Security Council meeting on mediation.  The former presidents of Ireland and Liberia agreed that the top three priorities of The Elders are to  defend multilateralism, the existential threats of climate change , and nuclear disarmament non proliferation.

“We feel multilateralisim needs to be defended and advocated precisely because it has become more challenged and weakened (amid populism, isolationists).  The problem is much wider than President Trump, but his poor leadership is aggravating the problem. The problem is populism. It is a sense of countries putting the country first in an isolationist nationalist way. It is happening in Europe, parts of East Europe, in Latin America, Brazil.  It’s a much more global phenomenon.  Its true people are more fearful of change, because of automation, job loss, and there is a sense that globalization has contributed to this. All of this has led to a bumpy period that goes beyond President Trump. “

-Mary Robinson, Chair of the Elders, former President of Ireland

Robinson said the Elders have met with world leaders including France President Emmanuel Macron, Russia President Putin, and China President Xi Jinping.  The former president of Ireland was non committal, and a bit critical  when asked by a reporter if the Elders have plans to meet President Trump.  “It’s difficult to see how constructive a conversation we could have with President Trump at the moment given his clear views particularly on the two issues that we are prioritizing as being existential threats and the disruption of the multilateralism system, including the trade system, the undermining of the WTO. It is quite across the board. The lack of awareness somehow of the importance of a multilateral  system that benefits both big  countries and very small countries and very poor countries that we’ve built up since the second world war,” she said.

Diplomatic Times Video /   Representatives of The Elders, Madame  Mary Robinson (Chair)  (left)  and Madame Ellen Johnson Sirleaf  at  press conference  UN world headquarters in New York June 11,  2019.

Climate Change Affecting The Progress Of Many Poor Countries in Africa: Former President of Liberia 

Credit: Gary Raynaldo /  Madame Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, former president of Liberia at press conference UN world headquarters New York June 11, 2019. 

“Climate change. We know the disasters that have happened recently in southern Africa. The rise of oceans to certification, all of those are affecting the progress of many of our poor countries in Africa. The effect they have had on women, women who are small farmers,” former Liberia president Johnson Sirleaf stated.

Diplomatic Times Video /  Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, former President of Liberia and Nobel Peace Laureate at UN press conference New York June 11, 2019. 

“In the area of multilateralism. The populism that is spreading around and what this is doing to partnerships. To support for countries for the mutuality of benefits that have resulted from those partnerships now seem to be weakening because countries are withdrawing and becoming isolationist in some of their policies. Everyone ought to see the value of continuing with the global partnerships that have brought all countries poor and rich to a place where we have common standards,  we have common objectives and agendas and the progress being made as a result  of this is just out there and so profound that we should not see a reversal of some of  this progress. Progress worldwide has been driven by global leadership. “

-former Liberia president Johnson Sirleaf.

African Nation Botswana Ends Gay Sex Laws

Botswana’s High Court overturned a colonial-era law criminalizing consensual same-sex relations in a landmark victory for Africa’s LGBTQ movement.

“It is very positive that Botswana has moved and taken the decision that it has taken. Botswana, an African country that has taken a stand on this. We need more African countries to move. I always appreciated that human rights have to be embedded in the culture  of a country. And that can take time. Every country tends to move at its own speed. “

-Mary Robinson, Chair of the Elders, former President of Ireland.