‘Africa has both the energy and the determination’ to make sustainable development happen, says UN deputy chief

The United Nations and the African Union (AU) should do more to ensure all Africans see their futures in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)and the goals of Africa’s Agenda 2063, UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed said on in Zimbabwe.

“Since no country is on track to deliver by 2030, every country must increase its ambition,” Ms. Mohammad said in her opening address to the Sixth Africa Regional Forum on Sustainable Development.

That ambition starts with national plans, policies, budgets and institutions that are commensurate with what it will take to deliver universal access to quality social services and an economy that provides decent jobs for all.

“And it requires the delivery of strong commitments at this year’s major global meetings on climate change, biodiversity, sustainable transport and oceans – all of which are crucial for Africa’s future,” she explained, adding that: “We need to see a stronger involvement of the general public for sustainable development.”

Yet she stressed that the absolute number of people living in poverty on the continent had increased to 428 million, with 22.8 million people facing severe food insecurity. This had brought with it increased income inequalities and youth unemployment.

“The scale of the task before us is immense, but the success of the SDGs depends on the success of [Africa’s] Agenda 2063,” she said, stressing that accelerating the pace and scale of collective action was the only solution.

She said the nexus between climate change, hunger, terrorism, conflict and displacement was causing havoc and human suffering in many countries, not least in the Sahel and the Horn. Moreover, gender inequality was costing sub-Saharan Africa $95 billion every year in lost opportunities.

“Success is possible, but only if we generate more ambition, more mobilization and more solutions,” she said.

She underscored that with staggering three-quarters of Africa’s population under the age of 35, ‘young people must be a central focus – not just in terms of economic inclusion but as the drivers of the change that these Agendas demand’.

Original source: UN News
Published on 25 February 2020