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About Dennis Francis
Ambassador Dennis Francis has served in Trinidad and Tobago’s Diplomatic Service for nearly 40 years in various roles, including 18 years as an Ambassador.
He held positions at the United Nations, the World Trade Organization, the Human Rights Council and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).
Key roles included chairing the World Trade Organisation Negotiating Group on Rules and the Committee on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights.
Ambassador Francis chaired the Assembly of the International Seabed Authority in 2003. He contributed to diplomatic training and education and co-authored the ‘Heads of Mission: A Handbook’.
The conversation started with Dennis Francis describing his journey of presiding over the UN General Assembly as ‘very much like a roller coaster, sometimes disappointing and sometimes very gratifying. It depends on the issue and the context. It depends on what we’ve been able to achieve, so it’s a mixed bag. But, as in everything human, there’s an unpredictability to it that in some ways makes it exciting.’
Trust and solidarity underpin the work of the 78th Session of the General Assembly. But Dennis Francis believes that ‘One of the problems that exists is getting the Member States to engage meaningfully in the formality of the conference room. And that is challenging for several reasons, not least of which is that there is a malady, I suppose is the word, of geopolitics in the General Assembly and in other parts of the UN. It gets imported into the work that we’re doing. And that is one of the reasons that you can’t really predict with any degree of certainty.’
To encourage engagement outside of the formality of the conference room, Dennis Francis introduced the GAYAP dialogues. ‘Gayap’ is a term which describes the tradition of people getting together to complete a significant task. It is derived from an indigenous Karinya (Carib) word ‘kayapa’ translating to ‘many hands make light work’.
‘We do this by convening early morning meetings, generally at 8 am with the Chatham House rule. Permanent Representatives (PRs) speak in their own right, not as representatives of their country’, he explains.
‘The topics are generally related to Assembly work and the participants are asked to be open, frank, provocative and even controversial. We are looking for the kernel of ideas and perspectives that can be helpful in enhancing the performance of the Assembly and in creating probable new streams of thought and new approaches that can help us to address the complex questions that are before us’.
These dialogues are ‘enormously valuable, the feedback from representatives is very positive and they in fact are asking for more.’
How is this different to the interactions elsewhere in the UN?
‘The evidence is that the formality of the conference room inhibits interaction. And PRs would come to a formal meeting with a prepared statement they would read, but there would be no reaction to something tabled by another PR. And this does not facilitate dialogue and does not build understanding. Which is what we’re trying to address. There’s no magic bullet. But we are seeing the potential it offers to make progress’.
Dennis Francis expands on why informal meetings can support open communication by describing the inhibitors. The General Assembly is ‘not a purpose-built space, it’s a pre-existing space. But when we come to this [GAYAP] space, we leave all formalities and protocols at the door, ranks and titles no longer exist. We are just colleagues in a room and the chairs are arranged in a circle…It’s like a group of friends having a chat.’
The conversation shifts towards peace and whether peace is an enabler and conducive to human flourishing.
‘Peace is decidedly an enabler, it’s an enabler because its nonexistence contaminates and frustrates everything else. Of what practical significance and value would it be for example to achieve Sustainable Development Goals in the most fulsome way possible, without there being peace? It will be utterly meaningless’.
He argues that ‘the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is people centred and people focused. A plan to lift the standard of living and welfare and well-being of people across the world. And if we do not have the capacity to ensure that peace exists and endures, what would be the point? What would be the value?’
‘I often say peace is the brand of the UN, this is our brand. We believe in it. I believe that perhaps looking back, as an international community, we’ve devoted insufficient time to nurturing and cultivating peace. We assume that when there is no war, there is peace. Everything is fine. But we know that now, not to be quite true. So, peace is an enabler, because it gives people security, a sense of confidence, it frees people to self-actualise, to desire.’
He brings the conversation very close to home saying: ‘Sometimes at night when I go to bed, I think of the people in Gaza, for instance. What they’re in, and not just in Gaza, in Ukraine, in Haiti, in Sudan and elsewhere across Africa. And of what they are enduring because of the lack of peace. People can’t live their lives and bring equality to their lives in a situation of insecurity and uncertainty. So, I believe that we, as an international community, need to enlarge our investment in peace, we need to nurture and cultivate peace. Because peace is a decision that starts with each one of us individually.’
‘We have to hold fast to our fundamental values about right and wrong. This is the core of the UN philosophy. That it is unacceptable and illegal for one country to invade and disrespect the territorial integrity of another country. That disputes are to be settled through peaceful means. That using war as a threat or using arms as a threat to another country is unacceptable. These are principles, lifelong principles that were developed in the post 1945 era and that are still valid and legitimate today. So, we have to take the long view.’
At the United Nations compound there is a statue of Mahatma Gandhi. I believe it should be more prominently displayed. Because it’s such a powerful symbol of the philosophy of the man. And the man’s power. Himself. But more than that, in its simplicity it has such meaning and depth. For civilisation, for all of us, and the inscription on the statue is simply this. ‘There is no way to peace. No way. Peace is the way.’
‘I believe that. I believe that deeply.’
Dennis Francis (centre), President of the seventy-eighth session of the UNGA, addresses the preparatory ministerial meeting for the Summit of the Future. At left is SG António Guterres, and at right is Cherith Norman Chalet, Assistant SG for General Assembly and Conference Management. UN Photo.
Upon probing the issue of equity and parity, particularly in the context of the President’s background representing a Small Island State, Dennis Francis says, he prioritises equity and balance.
‘While the UN pays attention to gender parity e.g. in appointments for key positions as co-facilitators of intergovernmental processes or high-level panel members, there is an ongoing and legitimate concern about the extent of engagement of women in the work of the UN.’
‘Out of 193 Permanent Representatives, only 47 are female. Over the life of the UN there’s been only four female presidents of the General Assembly, and there is yet to be a female Secretary-General.’
Dennis Francis spoke of his campaign commitment that the office of the PGA would do everything possible to achieve gender equality and parity, citing the appointment of a Special Advisor on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment and the resumption of the President’s Advisory Board on Gender Equality, with a view to mainstreaming gender institutions into the work of the UN.
Parity within the UN also concerns the balance of power between powerful and smaller states. The concept of parity refers to the equitable representation and influence of all Member States within the UN, regardless of their size or geopolitical strength.
‘Most of the delegations in the UN are small countries with small delegations that do not have a sufficient number of officers to cover every aspect of the work.’
Dennis Francis sees that meetings are scheduled to allow some flexibility for small delegations to attend some of the more important meetings.
‘It’s not easy to achieve. But we are not insensitive to the fact that these challenges occur in the context of the negotiations themselves’.
Another example is using the groups such as G77 and China, the largest negotiating bloc for the global South. Countries unable to attend meetings can have their views advanced within the ambit of the positions of this bloc. ‘We seek what is desirable and we work very hard to have outcomes in these negotiations that Member States can take and feel ownership for.’
Dennis Francis has experienced the General Assembly from different perspectives, as Permanent Representative and now as President.
‘As a Permanent Representative I had the freedom to intervene on any issue where I think my governments’ interests were being discussed or affected and I could do that with great flourish. Now I’m the President of the General Assembly, I represent the entire Assembly, I represent the composite of interests in the Assembly. I’m often asked what my personal opinion is. And as it happens, I have no personal opinions.’
‘I do not allow my personal opinions to infect my rule as President of the General Assembly. I set them aside because I’ve got to be equidistant from the Member States and I’ve got to earn and keep their trust, and I devote myself to that because it’s very important, particularly in the negotiations, to ensure that nothing is done to undermine the integrity of the process.’
Bringing the conversation to focus on the youth and future generations, Dennis Francis strikes a hopeful tone, articulating a vision for a world for the youth, characterised by accessible education, inclusive societies and environmental stewardship.
He wants young people ‘to achieve whatever is their dream in a world that makes education available to all, including people living in far-flung rural areas.’
‘A world of inclusion, where the rights of persons, for example with disabilities, are respected and are allowed to contribute to society like everyone else. That is the world we’re trying to create. The world that gives them the platform to excel. And to be upstanding, responsible global citizens that will carry on the work of protecting the environment, minimising the damage to the environment using resources sustainably, and producing and maintaining peace and stability.’
In conclusion Dennis Francis calls for a longer-term view and asks that we embrace endurance, vision, and determination. He emphasises the resilience of the international community to overcome obstacles and highlights the importance of creating a UN legacy that encourages young people not to lose hope, even in challenging times.
‘As inhabitants of this earth, we have something of a privileged position. We are privileged, we have life, there is hope. It takes time. It takes endurance. It takes vision and it takes determination. But we can because we’ve done it so many times in the past’ he says.
Author: Edit Morin-Kovacs