United Nations Secretary-General Bank Ki-moon has noted the socio-economic progress made by African countries during the inauguration of Africa Week.
Ban Ki-moon on Monday called for continued support for the continent, particularly for strengthening good governance and for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
“An age-old African word of wisdom reminds us: ‘If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together’,” said Ki-moon in his remarks at the inauguration of a series of events focused on the African continent known informally as the Africa Week.
“The road to 2030 is long and arduous. If we are to achieve our collective global vision of delivering a life of dignity for all and leaving no one behind, we all need to work together in unison and with vigour,” he added.
Held this year under the theme Strengthening Partnerships for Inclusive Sustainable Development, Good Governance, Peace and Stability in Africa the 2016 Africa Week will, among others, highlight the importance of diverse partnerships for the effective implementation of the 2030 Agenda and African Union’s Agenda 2063.
It will include partnerships between the UN, the wider international community and the continent’s regional and sub-regional organisations.
In his remarks, the Secretary-General recalled that the UN has worked tirelessly to strengthen peace and security in Africa and noted the Organisation’s support for implementation of the African Peace Security Architecture in moving ahead with the African Union initiative to ‘silence the guns by 2020,’ as well as working alongside it to consolidate peace in the Great Lakes, the Sahel, the Horn of Africa and other troubled spots.
He, however, also noted that conflicts in South Sudan, Sudan and in other countries continue to cause horrific suffering, with impacts ranging far and wide across the continent.
Ki-moon also drew attention to events that have drawn the credibility of some elections on the continent into question and thereby pushed countries to the precipice of conflict.
“The international community needs to support African countries, working with all relevant national and regional stakeholders, including the African Peer Review Mechanism, to improve good governance, and the conduct of elections and to ensure that civil society has the freedom to play its vital role,” he said.
Also, highlighting the threat of climate change, Ki-moon said that African countries did little to contribute to climate change but would be among those most affected by its impact.
He expressed that with entry of the Paris Agreement into force on November 4, the world will have a framework, including for financing and technology transfer, that can help Africa to mitigate and adapt to this threat.
The UN chief also noted the importance of South-South and triangular cooperation drew attention to recent initiatives such as the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation and the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD), where billions of dollars for the continent’s development had been pledged.
