ADAMA BARROW, President of the Gambia, said deeper reflection is required on the successes and setbacks of the United Nations if it is to be rebuilt into the world body needed for the future.  Despite bottlenecks in development, there have been dramatic advances in science and technology over the past 75 years.  The world has become a global village, he said, with the reasonable conclusion that multilateralism and cooperation contributed to that development.  The gains made in human rights must not be allowed to slip away, with conflict resolution remaining a priority.  He noted that the global outbreak of COVID‑19 underscores the importance of multilateralism and global cooperation.  The United Nations must support smaller and weaker Member States and help to lift them out of the least developed country category.

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