By Asmau Ahmad
United Nations on Wednesday met to discuss the development of Africa with attention focused on advancing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the African Union (AU) Agenda 2063.
General Assembly President Abdulla Shahid told the high-level ‘The Africa We Want dialogue that the continent’ at UN headquarters in New York that there were still challenges in realising the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
According to him, the continent is still facing challenges in achieving SDGs despite being rich with human and natural resources and enormous untapped economic and social potential.
“Africa has undergone a dramatic transformation since the end of the colonial era, with many countries struggling post-independence to secure socio-economic development, peace and security.
“Africa today is a region that has adopted and pursued a transformational agenda towards sustainable development, and is chartering a path towards prosperity, unity, peace, and integration.’’
The senior UN official noted the commitments of Africa throughout the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), Agenda 2063, and the SDGs.
Against the 2021 targets of Agenda 2063, Africa as a whole is only 51 per cent on track, according to a report issued in February.
While facing world challenges, such as climate change, COVID-19, rising fuel prices, and inequality, Africa has shown underlying vulnerabilities.
“Yet, progress remains possible,” Shahid affirmed, underscoring the importance of investing in people.
Describing Africa’s sustainable development as a “priority” for the UN and international community, he said collective action had often fallen short on delivery.
The Assembly President urged everyone to recommit to sustainable development on the continent, assess where action is lacking, foster progress, and fulfil existing commitments while generating new ones “that reflect our ever-changing world.”
“With resolve, continued commitment, perseverance and support from the international community and the UN system. The Africa We Want could become a reality,” he said
Speaking on behalf of the Secretary-General, his deputy, Amina Mohammed confirmed that the UN shares the AU’s vision of a continent shaped by its own narrative, informed by its own citizens, and representing a dynamic force on the world stage.
However, the pandemic, climate change and the war in Ukraine have placed at risk previous development gains.
She outlined measures to tackle these challenges, maintaining that Africa’s goals are still within reach.
To get there however, mindsets must change and the triple crisis must be turned into an opportunity.
Collen Kelapile, President of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and co-organiser of the session, called it both timely and relevant.
He advocated for collective action and international solidarity to address the looming threat of food insecurity and famine, the impacts of the Ukraine war on energy and the economy.”
“The silver lining here is that there is an unprecedented opportunity for Africa to step up to these challenges, speed up its industrialisation and economic diversification, and integrate itself further upstream in global supply chains through increased value addition at source,” the ECOSOC chief said.
“For the first time in a generation, Africa has displayed the collective decisive measures and leadership” required, to take its destiny in its own hands.
“As we are drawing nearer to the end of Agenda 2063’s First 10-Year Implementation Plan 2013-2023, this is the right moment to have this forward-looking dialogue,” he said.
According to him, the mutually reinforcing and complementary agendas bear testimony to the new narrative on Africa’s development
“I urge African Member States to accelerate implementation of both agendas, and to continue to show leadership, political will and vision as we move towards the target deadline of 2030 and beyond.’’
Noting that external financing, such as Official Development Assistance (ODA), has “consistently fallen short of commitments,” the ECOSOC chief described domestic resources as “key” to development financing.
He pointed out that while Africa had only contributed around 3.8 per cent to global carbon emissions, it is extremely vulnerable to global warming manifested through extreme weather, heatwaves, droughts, crop failures and hunger.
It also leads to further pressures in accessing resources, which result in vicious cycles of conflict on the continent and negative spill over to the rest of the world.
Dubbed the “African COP,” the next UN climate conference, COP27, set for Egypt in November is “a critical opportunity to address this imbalance,” Kelapile said.
It will provide opportunities to invest in renewable energy, sustainable agriculture, efficient low-carbon transportation, digital transformations and climate resilient crops to break Africa’s dependence on food imports.
Noting that by investing in human capital, every African can “earn a fair income, live a healthy life, and contribute to society,” he encouraged the participants to “harness its demographic dividend” and empower the region’s youth and women.
In addition, Kelapile said investing in women and youth would put the continent on track to realize the 2030 Agenda and its SDGs, as well as the aspirations and targets espoused in Agenda 2063.
