AFRICA has made progress in its quest to attain peace and
security as well as implement Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), United
Nations Deputy Secretary General Ms Amina Mohamed has said.
Speaking during the official opening of the 6th Session of
the Africa Regional Forum on Sustainable Development (ARFSD) here yesterday, Ms
Mohamed commended African governments for their energy and determination
towards implementation of SDGs.
She however said more needs to be done if the continent is
to meet its target for Agenda 2030 and Agenda 2063. Ms Mohamed said the United
Nations was committed to helping the continent realise its vision.
“Over the course of 2019 major scientific and analytical
reviews made clear that the world is not on track to achieve the sustainable
Development Goals by 2030.
“The Africa Union first report on the implementation of
Agenda 2063 demonstrated that despite early progress there is need for urgent
action.
“Now, 2020 is an opportunity for all of us to chart a
different course and to kickstart a Decade of Action to deliver the SDGs.
Region by region we will build momentum starting with Africa today and I am
convinced that with leadership by African governments and strong support from
their partners and young people, the Decade of Action can deliver major
improvements in peace and prosperity across the continent,” she said.
Ms Mohamed said while the UN High Level political forum
will continue to provide the main platform for global engagement and sharing
experiences on the SDGs, the decade (2020-2030) will also allow for annual
stocktaking on the collective journey towards 2063.
“Africa continues to have some of the fastest growing economies
and growth is projected to remain stable in 2020. The proportion of people
living in poverty is declining from 34,5 percent in 2015 to 32,5 percent in
2019. In 10 countries poverty rates are below 10 percent “Africa has made
progress in the quest for peace and security mostly by strengthening
continental response frameworks and institutions as well as by working with the
UN and other organisations on the growing to secure inclusive transitions,”
said Ms Mohamed.
She said considerable gains have been recorded in health
where less women and children are dying at birth or because of diseases.
She commended Africa’s commitment on climate action with
all African countries having signed the Paris Agreement and 48 having ratified
it.
The Deputy UN Secretary General also commended governments
for aligning their national plans and strategies with the 2030 Agenda and
Agenda 2063 in the last five years.
“This wide-ranging progress has been achieved because of
African leadership, the engagement of Africa’s young people, sound policies and
effective international cooperation,” highlighted Ms Mohamed.
She however warned against complacency.“But lets us not make a mistake. In Africa as elsewhere, we
need to accelerate the pace and scale up our collective action. The nexus
between climate change, hunger, terrorism, conflict, and displacement is
causing havoc and human suffering in many countries hence the scale
of the task before us is immense but the success of the
SDGs depends on the success of Africa 2063,” she said. Ms Mohamed said Agenda
2063 has potential to positively impact on SDGs the same way China’s
achievements contributed to major advances under the Millennium Development
Goals.
She said the continent can continue counting on UN support
especially in the goal of silencing guns which is the continent’s theme for the
year.
She implored all the governments of Africa, the African
Union Commission, youth, women, development partners, the UN development system
to leverage the Decade of Action to deliver the SGDs and common vision for a
more peaceful and prosperous Africa. Herald
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