Speaking at the African Union Summit, which is taking place in the Ethiopian city of Addis Ababa, UN Secretary-General António Guterres stated on Saturday that he supports an integrated, wealthy, and peaceful Africa.
The Decade of Women’s Financial and Economic Inclusion and the numerous African Union (AU) initiatives aimed at realizing this vision for the continent was praised by Guterres, who also applauded the Summit’s decision to emphasize the African Continental Free Trade Area as a “truly transformative pathway to job creation and new sources of prosperity for Africans, especially for the youth.”
According to the UN page, the UN head did not undervalue the “enormous tests” that Africa is going through or the great challenges that demanded a response.
In terms of the economy, Guterres called for increased financial aid for a continent that, in his words, is suffering from a dysfunctional and unfair financial system, inequalities in the availability of resources for the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, and a cost-of-living crisis exacerbated by the consequences of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The UN head claimed that the financial sector routinely denies debt relief to African nations and imposes outrageous interest rates, depriving them of funding for essential services like health, education, and social safety.
According to Guterres, the solution is a fundamentally altered international financial system that is centered on the requirements of developing nations.
On the climate crisis, Guterres stated that on a continent with a wealth of fossil fuel resources, where millions of people live without electricity, a transition to a clean energy future must address issues of energy access and development challenges.
He asserted that more access to technologies, such as battery-storage systems, components, and raw materials, is necessary for African nations to decarbonize and develop.
On the topic of peace and security, Guterres stated that the UN’s mission is growing increasingly complex as more conflicts, terrorism, and insecurity emerge.
He advocated for a more adaptable and efficient structure, as detailed in the United Nations New Agenda for Peace, which aims to strengthen the Organization’s peace operations.
In a press conference following his speech to the UN Summit, Guterres disclosed that the UN would allocate $250 million from its Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to fight famine and deal with emergencies that were not adequately funded.
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