ADDIS ABABA – United Nations Secretary General António Guterres said the African Union is taking inspiring steps to help realize the enormous potential of this great continent.
Guterres made the remarks on Saturday during the opening ceremony of the 36th ordinary Session of the African Union Assembly.
He said “Africa is poised for progress.”
“Agenda 2063. The Decade of Women’s Financial and Economic Inclusion. The continent’s abundance of natural resources. And its greatest advantage of all — its people, representing a diverse range of cultures and languages,” he said.
As for the United Nations-African Union ties, the UN chief said the United Nations is proud to be your partner and to work together.
The ties between the African Union and the United Nations have never been stronger, he said.
“But I also recognize the enormous tests that Africa — and indeed our world — is facing on virtually every front,” he said.
United Nations Secretary General António Guterres said investing in African pathways to prosperity requires finance.
And developing countries are repeatedly left in the lurch, he said.
The global financial system routinely denies them debt relief and concessional financing, while charging extortionate interest rates, he added.
As a result, vital systems are starved of investment — from health and education, to green technology, social protection and the creation of new, sustainable jobs, he said.
Meanwhile, women and girls are still not receiving the support and investment they need — in the classroom, in the workplace, in civil society and across political systems, he said.
African countries cannot invest in these critical areas and climb the development ladder with one hand tied behind their backs, he added.
The beating heart of this system — every decision, mechanism and process — should be centered on the needs of developing countries, he said.
They should have a far greater voice in global institutions — including financial institutions. The Security Council, the Bretton Woods system are typical examples where Africa is dramatically underrepresented, he said.
Multilateral Development Banks should transform their business model and accept a new approach to risk, he added.
This includes massively leveraging their funds to attract greater flows of private capital into your countries, he said.
It means scaling-up guarantees and adopting first-loss positions in coalitions of financial institutions to support developing countries, particularly in Africa, he added.
He noted “But all these efforts must be matched by a tidal wave of support from developed countries.”
“They must deliver on the $100-billion promise to developing countries,” he said.
He said “the UN is a proud partner of peace in Africa. From our joint missions and programmes. To strengthening electoral processes and peaceful transfers of power. To our peacebuilding and peacekeeping efforts.To our joint efforts to end terrorism across Africa. But our work is becoming more complex every year.”
“Terrorism, insecurity and conflict are rising. I am deeply concerned by the recent increase in violence by armed groups in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and by the progression of terrorist groups in the Sahel and elsewhere,” he said.
“I support your call for the return of democratically elected, civilian-led governments in Burkina Faso, Guinea, Mali and Sudan,” he said.
“We need to keep fighting for peace,” he stressed
“The proposed New Agenda for Peace is our plan at the United Nations to revitalize multilateralism and strengthen our peace operations around the world,” he said.
“It will set out a comprehensive approach to prevention, linking peace, sustainable development, climate action, and human rights, drawing on the broader participation of women and young people,” he said.
“And we are committed to strengthening our work with the African Union to bolster democratic and responsive governance structures,” he added.
“We will continue to strengthen and enhance peacekeeping operations,”he said.
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