Taif represents Saudi Arabia at UNESCO Creative Cities literature network meeting in Slovenia    Saudi Arabia joins global initiative to strengthen independence of supreme audit institutions    Saudi Arabia graduates 3,948 security personnel after completing training in Riyadh and Makkah    Government launches platform to offer residential land in Riyadh at SR1,500 per sqm    GCC–Russia Ministerial Meeting condemns Israeli aggression against Qatar    Belarus pardons scores of prisoners 'at the request' of Trump, Lukashenko says    Ryan Routh cut off by judge as trial over attempted Trump assassination begins    South Korea workers detained in US raid head home    Summer 2025 sees 32 million tourists in Saudi Arabia with over SR53 billion spending    Al-Futtaim BYD KSA hosts first Super Hybrid Tech Day in Saudi Arabia First event of its kind in the region showcases breakthrough super hybrid technology    Saudi Industrial Production Index rises 6.5% in July 2025    King Charles and Prince Harry finally reunite after 19 months apart    PIF chief says Saudi transformation could outpace China's, outlines 'filtration' investment process The Fund to unveil its next five-year strategy soon    Anastacia: Arnold Schwarzenegger made me sing Whatta Man 12 times    Thousands pay their last respects to Giorgio Armani, private funeral on Monday    French doctor goes on trial for poisoning 30 patients, 12 fatally    The key to happiness    Mike Tyson and Floyd Mayweather Jr. set to meet in exhibition boxing match in 2026    Al Hilal sign Turkish defender Yusuf Akcicek on €22m deal until 2029    Al Qadsiah sign German midfielder Julian Weigl to strengthen defensive midfield    Al Ahli secure Flamengo starlet Matheus Gonçalves in long-term deal through 2027    Sholay: Bollywood epic roars back to big screen after 50 years with new ending    Ministry launches online booking for slaughterhouses on eve of Eid Al-Adha    Shah Rukh Khan makes Met Gala debut in Sabyasachi    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Through the tears, solutions for a better society have sprung up': Estonian president
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 23 - 09 - 2021

The President of Estonia, Kersti Kaljulaid, lauded the world's embrace of online services in response to the COVID-19 pandemic on Wednesday, in her high-level General Debate speech at the 76th United Nations General Assembly session.
Kaljulaid said that, although many conversations on digital development have been curtailed, online events have continued to provide solutions and fresh ideas to confront the crisis.
"Through the tears we have shed for our lost ones, from the despair and devastation, solutions have sprung which will enable us to become better, more egalitarian societies" she declared.
The Estonian president singled out Kenya's decision to make court judgments available online and expressed her hope that this could be replicated by all governments, citing the benefits for people from rural areas and vulnerable groups, who would otherwise have to travel long distance and queue at government offices.
'The vulnerable suffer'
Turning to Afghanistan, Kaljulaid expressed her sadness that the progress made in the past two decades, particularly in relation to women's rights, is seemingly being reversed. Their future, she said, looks grim, as does the humanitarian situation, with more than 18 million people, including women and children, in need of emergency aid.
The Estonian president reminded her audience that women and children in parts of the world have been hard-hit by the pandemic: the figures surrounding women's participation in the workforce, their proportion among the unemployed, or the number of women unable to reach ante- or postnatal care make up a "dark shadow of this pandemic".
Vaccinating the global population, she continued, is necessary before problems such as starvation, access to education or medical care can be properly addressed, and Estonia is contributing some 900 000 vaccine doses.
Digital as an equalizer
On the subject of the digital transformation, Kaljulaid noted that the phenomenon, of particular importance for small countries with limited resources, cannot be separated from the respect from the basic rights and freedoms.
Digital, she continued, is an equalizer and, in order to prevent the emergence of digital inequality and division, Estonia and Singapore co-sponsored a Global Declaration on the Digital Response to COVID19, "Close the Digital Divides: the Digital Response to COVID-19".
The president insisted that digital tools must not be used to help repressive states become more efficient, but should be used for the benefit of their citizens. In Estonia, she continued, the state's online behavior is rooted in international law, including the UN Charter, international humanitarian law, and human rights law.
Turning to the activities of neighboring countries, Kaljulaid raised the situation in Belarus. She said that Estonia stands in solidarity against the "aggressive and destabilizing behavior of Alexander Lukashenkaʼs regime".
As for Ukraine, the Estonian leader declared her country's "strong and unwavering support for their sovereignty, territorial integrity and for nonrecognition policy of the illegal annexation of Crimea by Russia."
Highlighting the work of Estonia as an elected member of the Security Council, Kaljulaid said that the country has tried to give a voice to women human rights defenders by inviting them to brief the Council, and to draw attention to the situation of children in armed conflicts.
The Estonian president concluded by remarking that the UN relies on international cooperation to solve global problems, and that the organization has a great potential for solidarity regardless of the problems we are facing. — UN News


Clic here to read the story from its source.