CAIRO – UN Secretary General António Guterres said in a word at the Aswan Forum for Sustainable Peace and Development that the people of Africa are facing unprecedented and multidimensional crises.
Speaking at the forum’s opening session on Tuesday, the UN secretary general said “We need to end the COVID-19 pandemic, with governments, global and regional organizations, and pharmaceutical companies working better together to deliver and locally produce tests, vaccines and treatments.”
“We must expand African countries’ access to financing and debt relief, so they can invest in job-creation, poverty reduction, expanded social protection, food security and green growth,” Guterres said.
“We need to silence the guns across Africa, and address conflict’s many roots — by tackling inequalities and discrimination, and strengthening governance, institutions, public services and justice systems,” he added.
“And we need bold climate action. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has identified Africa as a global hotspot for the climate crisis. Breaching the Paris Agreement’s 1.5 degree goal would be disastrous,” he noted.
He went on to say “Many AU member states have come forward with ambitious Nationally Determined Contributions, clearly identified adaptation needs and adopted the African Union Green Stimulus Program.”
“The world must match Africa’s ambitions with resources, financing and technologies to accelerate the transition from coal and other fossil fuels to renewables,” he said. “I am calling for a five-point proposal to achieve a renewable energy revolution.
Making renewables technology freely available as a global public good,” he added.
“Despite the continent’s enormous renewable energy potential, just two percent of renewable energy investments have gone to Africa over the last decade,” Guterres underlined.
“Countries must arrive in Egypt for COP27 determined with clear plans to close this financing gap,” he said.
“And they should support the work of the World Meteorological Organization to ensure that every person in the world has access to early warning systems for disasters over the next five years,” he added.
He concluded by saying “Across all these areas, the United Nations stands with Africa as we shape a peaceful, prosperous and sustainable future for all Africans.”
Chairperson of the African Union Commission Moussa Faki Mahamat thanked Egypt for organizing the Aswan Peace Forum, hoping that the forum’s results will contribute to efforts to shore up stability and peace in the African continent.
He also stressed the importance of mobilizing efforts to confront climate change and provide comprehensive solutions to the enormous challenges facing Africa.
In this regard, he underlined the importance of investing in the climate field, saying there should be new energy applications to back efforts exerted by developing countries on this score.
He also hoped that the 27th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 27) to the UNFCCC, set for Sharm El Sheikh in November will end in success.
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