Africa has remarkable success stories than crises – UN Chief

Mr Antonio Guterres, the UN Secretary-General, has called for better narratives about Africa, saying there are better things about the continent than crises.

The UN scribe made the remarks at a post-AU Summit press briefing in New York on Wednesday, adding that “Africa has many remarkable success stories.

“Our narrative of Africa must not just be based on crises that exist in Africa. There are crises everywhere. There are crises in Europe, Middle East, Asia.

“What is important is for us to understand the enormous potential that Africa represents.

“That Africa is the continent that has grown more economically in the last decade, that it has remarkable success stories; that we need to also take profit of the momentum created by these facts.

“We want to make sure that Africa wins the battle for sustainable and inclusive development in the next few years.

“This is because we know that it is the best way to prevent the conflicts that unfortunately created so much suffering on the continent.”

The UN chief lauded the region for its recent summit, saying that AU and UN were able to enhance their cooperation.

“First of all, we established with the African Union, an enhanced platform for cooperation.

“I was invited for a breakfast meeting with all African Heads of States to discuss the situation on the continent and the global situation,” he said.

He added that it was agreed that in every AU Summit in January, there would be a breakfast meeting between the UN secretary-general and African Heads of States.

“This translates to the strong commitment of the AU to a very close relationship with the UN.

“At the same time, we have agreed that the Agenda 2063, which is the Development Agenda of the AU and the Agenda 2030, the Sustainable Development Agenda, will be aligned.”

He explained that there would be only one line of reporting, which meant that there would be total cooperation between the UN and the AU.

“This is in relation to the Sustainable Development Goals and the implementation of the Paris Agreement in the years to come,” Guterres said.