UNION, 21 July (IPS) – Amina J. Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General of the Union of Nations, in his speech at the Joint High-Level Dialogue on Africa, 20 July 2022. 2063 – may embodies the African Union’s bold vision of a continent of peace, prosperity and inclusion.
An Africa shaped by its own story, informed by its own people and representing a dynamic force on the world stage. The United Nations shares this vision and its realization through the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Today’s event provides a global platform for African Member States, the United Nations and partners to share progress and reaffirm that bringing light to this vision remains a priority. our common. Sadly, Africa’s development achievements are at risk, as a result of three current crises. First, the COVID-19 pandemic. The effects of the pandemic have reversed progress made over the past two decades, and further narrowed the already limited financial space. Social inequalities have manifested and worsened in almost every area: vaccine distribution, economic growth, access to education and health care, as well as loss of jobs and incomes. For the first time in more than 20 years, poverty is on the rise. Women and informal workers are disproportionately affected. Second, climate change continues to threaten Africa’s future. Droughts, floods and storms are increasing in number and severity and African countries are on the front lines. Although this week we are seeing record high temperatures in Europe and the UK, where bushfires and house fires have claimed lives. COP27 in Egypt will be the COP of Africa. This will be an opportunity to build on the Glasgow results and signal the ambitions of COP28 stock.
There is a unique opportunity to advance ambition and keep the promises of the 2030 Agenda, including the Paris agreement and the promise of Agenda 2063. To scale and accelerate investment in solutions Climate adaptation measures to protect people and ecosystems and build resilience to upcoming crises.
Third, the war in Ukraine. War has not only caused immense human suffering – it is currently leading to a global food, energy and financial crisis. 71 million people in developing countries have fallen into poverty in just three months, as a direct result of rising global food and energy prices.
People living in areas like the Sahel and Horn of Africa are particularly vulnerable to food insecurity. As the Secretary-General warned, “there is a real risk that more famines will occur by 2022. And 2023 could be even worse.” The Africa we want is still within reach. To get there, we need to change our mindset and turn a triple crisis into an opportunity. To do so, we must focus on five, of our many key issues: First, building effective and credible policy frameworks and institutions. Just to be clear: policy choices have the potential to make or break this world. Without a strong policy response to today’s challenges, there is a risk that inequality will become entrenched. For a comprehensive economic recovery, policy responses need to put human capital and future resilience at the heart of the policy-making process. We need to promote complementarity between formal and informal social protection networks as tools to achieve income distribution. Second, we must future-proof Africa’s infrastructure by investing in connectivity and digital technology. The launch of the African Continental Free Trade Area presents an exciting opportunity for African countries to industrialize, diversify and digitize their economies, while increasing cooperation and capacity resilience in the region. Third, education and skills development are the drivers of Africa’s industrialization. Digital, science, technology, engineering and math skills need to be integrated into the curricula of African schools and institutions. This is the only way the continent can build a highly skilled workforce capable of delivering the fourth industrial revolution. The Transformational Education Summit that the Secretary-General will convene in September will help completely redesign our education system for the world of tomorrow, today. Fourth, achieve sustainable energy for all across the continent. The rise in global energy prices we are witnessing will spur African countries to accelerate energy access and a equitable transition, including the expansion of energy production. domestic renewables and energy efficiency. But this is an opportunity for foreign direct investment in many of these economies that will pave the way for the industrialization we are talking about. Finally, we need a holistic approach to finance. In the short term, African countries need immediate relief to ensure they can survive in the years to come – through reallocating unused Special Drawing Rights, increasing grants offer incentives and renew the Debt Service Pause Initiative. In the long run, we will need to re-prioritize where and how investments are made. This requires massive investment scaling up in areas that remain critical to strengthening resilience and inclusive growth. And this requires redistributing funds away from areas that undermine these efforts — while supporting a transition that’s fair to all. The Africa we want isn’t just good for the Continent – it’s good for the world. Building the Africa We Want means providing the urgent support Africa needs, it also means putting our youth and women at the center. Now is the urgent time to rescue the SDGs in Africa and lay the groundwork for the ambitions of Agenda 2063 – and around the world at large. Today, let us believe in our ambitious vision and continue to work together with African countries to realize a greener, more sustainable and inclusive future for all.
IPS UN Office
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