New Year Greeting Ceremony for Members of Diplomatic Corps

President Hage G. Geingob hosted the New Year’s Greeting Ceremony for members of the Diplomatic Corps on 10 February 2023 at the State House in Windhoek.

President Geingob expressed his happiness that he was finally able to once again meet in person with the members of the diplomatic corps after a three-year halt due to the COVID-19 global pandemic crisis.

“It is indeed wonderful and a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the strength of international solidarity. It, therefore, gives me the utmost pleasure to host you all in person as we once again enjoy the gift of human interaction.”

-President Hage G. Geingob

President Geingob reaffirmed that there were global issues calling for increased international cooperation and urgent action.

President Geingob said that the common challenges that demand immediate attention are climate change, food security, energy, growing pressure on natural resources, terrorism, violent extremism, migration issues and human trafficking.

“It is in that sense that I hope 2023 will be the year when we develop greater platforms for dialogue and cooperation, as this is the only way to restore global peace and stability.”

-President Hage G. Geingob

President Geingob shared two dictums about war with members of the diplomatic corps.

“Number one, war is caused by the failure of diplomacy; therefore, diplomacy must always prevail.

Secondly, the government of the Republic of Namibia attaches great importance to the mutually beneficial bilateral relations and cooperation with the diplomatic corps, their respective countries and international organizations.”

-President Hage G. Geingob

President Geingob urged the members of the diplomatic corps to prioritise the deepening of mutually beneficial relations with the overall objective of securing lasting peace and stability as well as sustainable growth and prosperity in all corners of the globe.

President Geingob stated that Namibia remains committed to overcoming energy poverty.

“I am pleased to state that, with the assistance of several of your countries, we have made progress in this regard. The recently signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the European Union on Sustainable Raw Materials and Renewable Hydrogen opens up investment opportunities that gear toward turning Namibia into a clean energy hub with the potential to export to other countries within the continent and beyond. Thus, Namibia is quickly emerging as an early entrant to the green energy market with the ambition of becoming a leading exporter of Green Hydrogen.”

-President Hage G. Geingob

According to President Geingob, the recent discovery of oil has the potential to make Namibia the thirdlargest oil producer in Sub-Saharan Africa.

President Geingob reminded the diplomats that Namibia is committed to promoting democracy, the rule of law, good governance, and international peace and security, and reaffirmed that one cannot speak about sustainable development in the absence of peace and security.

“Therefore, through the quest for maintenance of peace and security, Namibia assumed the chairmanship of the SADC Organ on Politics, Defense, and Security Cooperation last August and is currently serving in the AU Peace and Security Council for a three-year term (2022-2025).”

-President Hage G. Geingob

President Geingob said that as Chair of the Organ Troika, Namibia has launched successful SADC Electoral Observation Missions (SEOMs) to Angola and Lesotho and also undertaken a working visit to Eswatini to better understand the situation on the ground.

“Namibia continues to call for the legitimate reform of the UN Security Council. The Reform is integral to redressing the historical injustice done to the African continent. Therefore, the African continent and its people must receive their rightful place in the international system, with an equal voice in the United Nations. In this regard, Namibia continues to advocate for the Common African Position as enshrined in the Ezulwini Consensus and Sirte Declaration, which remains the most viable option to redress the historical injustice,”

-President Hage G. Geingob

President Geingob further stated that Namibia upholds the principle of peaceful co-existence of nations as well as fair and open trade among nations.

President Geingob reiterated Namibia’s position on the issue of self-determination and stressed that the denial of the right to selfdetermination is a denial of basic human rights.

“In this regard, we reaffirm our full and unequivocal support for the inalienable rights of the people of both Palestine and Western Sahara to self-determination and national independence.”

-President Hage G. Geingob