African leaders at UN discuss efforts to ensure vibrant private sector, transparent elections

Among the African leaders taking the podium at the United Nations General Assembly today, Guinea's President stressed that Africa needs deep structural transformations and a vibrant private sector to reduce vulnerability and build up the continent’s resilience.

President Alpha Condé welcomed the theme of the current Assembly session, ‘The Sustainable Development Goals: A Universal Push to Transform our World,’ expressing hope that this annual debate by world leaders who gathered at UN Headquarters would “lead to the creation of necessary foundations” for such transformation.

He said that Africa – the continent with the world’s youngest population and some of its most vulnerable countries – requires particular attention in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Public policies must integrate the needs of the most vulnerable, youth and women in particular, in order to enable them to realize their full potential, he said. Partnerships and financing are equally needed to accelerate growth.

Sustainable access to energy is another challenge to Africa, he continued, pointing out that 700 million Africans lack access to electricity. A robust plan for the continent’s electrification is needed within the framework of the Paris Agreement on climate change. With that in mind, he called upon the international community, global financial institutions in particular, to work with the continent to help build a strong Africa.

At the same time, he said, Guinea is proud of its contribution to the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA), notably its deployment of a battalion of 850 men to Kidal. Guinea has paid a heavy price with the loss of nine soldiers in less than one year, he said, emphasizing that much must be done to ensure Mali’s sovereignty and improve its capability to prevent future attacks.

Turning to the Ebola outbreak, he cautioned that, while the victory in ending the outbreak was something for all to celebrate, the road ahead is long. The disease has undermined all economic activities in Guinea and made women and young people especially vulnerable. He expressed gratitude to all partners that have allowed Guinea, as well as Liberia and Sierra Leone, to re-engage quickly on the road to sustainable development.

Salaheddine Mezouar, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of the Kingdom of Morocco, addresses the general debate of the General Assembly’s seventy-first session. UN Photo/Manuel Elias

In his remarks, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Morocco, Salaheddine Mezouar, noted that his country will host the next Conference of Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP 22) in Marrakech in November. Having already filed ratification instrument for the Paris Agreement, Morocco invited States to speed up their own procedures for the accord to enter into force as soon as possible.

"The success of the implementation of the Paris Agreement is linked to the availability of financial resources," Mr. Mezouar stressed, and the next Conference of Stated Parties will be "a key event in the framework of the accords implementation and in promoting solutions for sustainable development." It will also be an entry point for developing countries to draw attention to their struggles to combat the threat of climate change.

On other issues, he recalled that his country has adopted a clear stance on the fight against terrorism, in all its forms, as well as to disrupt its funding sources. He added that Morocco has established a close multidisciplinary strategy the United Nations, including in addressing the phenomenon of foreign fighters. Morocco has also helped other countries with the training of imams "in the principle of tolerance."

Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Raymond Tshibanda N'tungamulongo, addresses the general debate of the General Assembly’s seventy-first session. UN Photo/Cia Pak

For his part, Raymond Tshibanda N'tungamulongo, the Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, said his country has decided to integrate the 2030 Agenda into its national development plans to ensure that its policies are coherent. It has put together a five-year plan for the period 2017-2021, during which priority would be given to improving human capital, requiring close cooperation between various development partners to guarantee strong economic growth and also, more importantly, to be inclusive. Specific attention would be given to the needs of young people and women, in terms of their education, training and job prospects.

Further, the country has entered a crucial phase of decentralization to ensure that all provinces have their own local authorities and can carry out their own elections. This process will continue with the upcoming presidential polls. In spite of delays, those polls “will definitely be conducted” by the National Independent Electoral Commission as soon as technical conditions allow.

He went on to tell the Assembly that ahead of the presidential elections, consultations were held two weeks ago among representatives of the presidential majority, civil society and the opposition. “The right to elect and be elected is a fundamental right for all Congolese people […] the challenge is to make sure that voting registry is reliable and inclusive.”

Throughout the current political national dialogue and the process of resolving disputes towards holding the elections, “any recourse to violence should be strongly condemned and perpetrators punished.”

Prime Minister Patrice Emery Trovoada of Sao Tome and Principe addresses the general debate of the General Assembly’s seventy-first session. UN Photo/Cia Pak

Also addressing the Assembly, Patrice Emery Trovoada, Prime Minister of Sao Tome and Principe said that rising tensions due to both ancient and fresh conflicts and mass population movements are largely being stoked by populism. Moreover, at a time when the treatment of refugees fleeing hunger or war or both faces the rise of populism and extremism, rich democracies seem to be providing “fake answers to real problems,” making them even more complex, stigmatizing and isolating our fellow human beings with simplistic slogans and increasing divisions between peoples, civilizations and cultures.”

The United Nations, particularly the Security Council, must finally settle the conflicts that fuel terrorism, the disappearance of States and despair of the people. With this in mind, his country is awaiting the urgent adoption of a draft general convention on terrorism. Indeed, tackling war and terrorism required joint action to bring an end to conflicts, including in Syria, and the emergence of terrorist groups in the Sahel.

Closer to home, he said that Sao Tome and Principe has been undertaking its responsibility to achieve sustainable development, but it is up to the developed countries at the same time to live up their commitments made through the Addis Ababa Action Agenda and the Paris Agreement.

"The universal impulse to change the world" will be possible mainly through financial mobilization. This windfall will be able to, among others, electrify the continent, irrigate fields, combat endemic disease and hunger, and to promote vocational training," he explained.

The United Nations is a vehicle for promoting broader development and ensuring respect for different cultures and forms of development, he said, adding at the same time that the UN must carry out reforms in order to meet the challenges of the day, especially in the Security Council.