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Global affluence if realised will benefit all, President Yoweri Museveni has said.

According to the President there is no reason to preserve poverty in the world and wonders who would lose if there was global affluence. 

(Photo by Eddie Ssejjoba)

“Why do you want to preserve poverty? I think everyone would gain and even gain more,” he said.

According to the 2023 global Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI), 1.1 billion out of 6.1 billion people (just over 18%) live in acute multidimensional poverty across 110 countries. Sub-Saharan Africa of which Uganda is part (534 million) and South Asia (389 million) are home to approximately five out of every six poor people.

The annual global Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI), jointly published by the Human Development Report Office (HDRO) of the United Nations Development Programme and the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI) at the University of Oxford since 2010, measures interlinked deprivations in health, education and standard of living that directly affect a person’s life and wellbeing. 

Call for modesty

The President says he pities some people who behave as if the world has started today: “I like to look at man for the whole journey of four-and-a-half million years because people behave as if the world has started today. I really pity some people when I hear them talking”.

His Sunday remarks were during a high-level seminar on enhancing economic resilience through broader South-South Economic Co-operation that took place on the sidelines of the 3rd South Summit of the G77+China at Munyonyo Commonwealth Resort Hotel in Kampala.

(Photo by Eddie Ssejjoba)

(Photo by Eddie Ssejjoba)

“These people, do they know that we have been here for four-and-a-half million years? They come and talk authoritatively wah-wah! We have been here for four and a half million years and we have been seeing things. So, some modesty is good. Talk, but talk in a modesty way, humble way,” Museveni said.

The seminar was organised by the Government of Uganda and that of China. It aimed at bringing together high-level representatives of the third South Summit and business leaders to discuss how to scale up South-South economic co-operation and integration to enhance the resilience of the global South, which represents 80% of the world’s population.

It was also attended by Rebecca Grynspan, the secretary-general of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, and Miao Deyu, the Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs of China, the assistant minister of foreign affairs of China.

Rebecca Grynspan, Secretary General of the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).(Photo by Eddie Ssejjoba)

Miao Deyu, the Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs of China. (Photo by Eddie Ssejjoba)

Veiled attack

Museveni’s speech was seen as a veiled attack on some Western nations he has been blasting for manipulating and lecturing societies that are different from theirs.

“We, the resistance fighters of Uganda, are flabbergasted and look down with contempt, at the philosophical, ideological and strategic shallowness of some of the actors in the World. Why not respect the freedom of everybody, if you say you are a democrat?” he said on Friday, January 19.

He made the remarks after officially taking over the three-year rotating chairpersonship of the Non-Aligned Movement, the largest grouping of states worldwide after the UN.  

This was during the just-concluded NAM’s 19th summit of heads of state and government at Munyonyo Commonwealth Resort Hotel. 

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More photos

(Photo by Eddie Ssejjoba)

President Yoweri Museveni being received by Miao Deyu, assistant minister of foreign affairs of China and Rebecca Grynspan, secretary general of the UN Conference on trade and development (UNCTAD) on Sunday at a G77 side-event at Speke Resort Convention Center in Munyonyo Kampala. (Photo by Eddie Ssejjoba)

Former UNDP representative in Uganda, Rosa Malango, during the G77 side meeting. (Photo by Eddie Ssejjoba)

(Photo by Eddie Ssejjoba)

(Photo by Eddie Ssejjoba)

(Photo by Eddie Ssejjoba)

President Yoweri Museveni poses for a picture with Rebecca Grynspan, secretary general of the United Nations conference on trade and development (UNCTAD), and Miao Deyu, assistant minister for foreign affairs of China after speaking at a side-event of the Third South Summit High level seminar on enhancing economic resilience through broader South-South economic cooperation. (Photo by Eddie Ssejjoba)

(Photo by Eddie Ssejjoba)

Julius Mucunguzi from the communications department of the G77 summit talks to Professor Fadhel Kaboub, (middle), the President of the Global Institute for Sustainable Prosperity and Rebecca Grynspan, Secretary General of the UN Conference on Trade and Development. (UNCTAD).

Trade minister, Francis Mwebesa, and state minister for trade, Harriet Ntabaazi. (Photo by Eddie Ssejjoba)

(Photo by Eddie Ssejjoba)

(Photo by Eddie Ssejjoba)

Odrek Rwabwogo, Special Adviser to the President attended the meeting. (Photo by Eddie Ssejjoba)

The event was also attended by the Bank of Uganda deputy governor, Dr. Michael Atingi-Ego, the business community and representatives of the international community including Dima Al Khatib, director UNDP South-South cooperation. (Photo by Eddie Ssejjoba)