25 May 2013 – Secretary-General Ban
Ki-moon today declared that while Africans forge ahead with “a new narrative”
for their continent, the United Nations will support them as they faced any
challenges that remain on the path towards a prosperous future.
In his message to mark
Africa Day, which commemorates the founding in 1963 of the Organization of
African Unity, now known as the African Union (AU), Mr. Ban acknowledged that
over the past decade, the continent had witnessed “unprecedented progress,”
largely at the hands of the AU.
“The launch of the AU's Partnership for Africa's Development
and Peer Review Mechanism has helped to advance economic, social, political and
institutional reforms,” he stated, referring to the self-monitoring mechanism
by which participating African nations promote and re-enforce high standards of
governance.
“Similarly, the African Union is playing an increasingly
more dynamic leadership role in preventing, managing, and resolving Africa's
conflicts through its revamped Peace and Security Architecture,” Mr. Ban added,
while noting that many countries were also seeking to energize their private
sectors.
The Secretary-General pointed out, however, that despite
Africa's gains and achievements, “numerous and serious challenges remain including
conflict, environmental degradation, and the need for strengthened
infrastructure and institutions.”
“We must accelerate efforts towards the Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs), from
maternal health to HIV/AIDS, and keep Africa's needs and aspirations front and
centre in discussion on the post-2015 development agenda,” he continued.
This year's Africa Day has particular significance because
it also marks 50 years of the Organization of African Unity's founding.
Mr. Ban declared that while Africans forge ahead with “a new
narrative” for their continent's future, the United Nations would support them
along the way.
“The United Nations will proudly continue to work in
partnership with the African Union and the peoples of Africa to help build a
continent of opportunity and hope for all,” he concluded.
Mr. Ban is currently attending the 21st African Union Summit
in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
In his remarks at the ceremony marking the 50th anniversary
of the AU, he reiterated the UN's support for the continent and praised it for
its efforts to improve the lives of its citizens.
“I see a rising Africa rising to the challenges,” he said.
“There is no problem in Africa that cannot be solved by the potential of
Africa.”
On the margins of the Summit he met with
United States Secretary of State John Kerry, with whom he discussed various
topics including Syria, the Middle East peace process and developments in the
Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Great Lakes region.
He also met with the Norwegian Foreign Minister, Espen Barth
Eide, with whom he discussed
the situation in Somali and Mali, including the recent
deployment of the Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali
(MINUSMA).
In addition, Mr. Ban met with Mauritania's Foreign Minister
Hamadi Ould Baba Ould Hamadi. The two mendiscussed the
upcoming elections in the country as well as the situation in the Sahel and the
humanitarian impact of the Malian crisis in Mauritania.
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