Category: Africa Press Organisation – English

Source: United Nations – English

n Africa Industrialization Day, we celebrate the inspiring progress and economic growth the continent has achieved over the decades.

From the promise of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement to the continent’s young, innovative and entrepreneurial population, to Africa’s growing leadership in renewable energy, Africa is fast-becoming an integrated global economic force across diverse sectors.

This year’s theme emphasizes the enormous potential of emerging technologies — especially artificial intelligence — to power African growth in green manufacturing.

Artificial intelligence can sharpen the continent’s competitive edge in green manufacturing — boosting productivity, job-creation and African prosperity — while also reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

In September, leaders adopted the Global Digital Compact to enhance global cooperation and capacity-building in groundbreaking technologies like artificial intelligence. The Compact includes the first truly universal agreement on the international governance of artificial intelligence to give every country a seat at the AI table. It also highlights how digital public infrastructure — like digital payment systems — can boost economic activity and regional integration. 

I urge Africa to seize this opportunity to harness the transformative potential of technology, and drive inclusive and environmentally conscious development and economic growth.

The United Nations proudly stands with all Africans in this essential effort.

***
La Journée de l’industrialisation de l’Afrique est l’occasion de célébrer les progrès et la croissance économique exemplaires enregistrés par le continent au fil des décennies.

De l’Accord prometteur portant création de la Zone de libre-échange continentale africaine qu’elle a conclu à sa population jeune, innovante et dynamique, en passant par le rôle moteur toujours plus grand qu’elle joue dans le domaine des énergies renouvelables, l’Afrique devient rapidement une force économique mondiale intégrée dans divers secteurs.

Le thème de cette année met l’accent sur l’immense potentiel que présentent les technologies émergentes, en particulier l’intelligence artificielle, qui peuvent contribuer à stimuler la croissance du continent dans le domaine de la fabrication écologique.

L’intelligence artificielle peut en effet doper la compétitivité du continent dans le secteur de la fabrication écologique en favorisant la productivité, la création d’emplois et la prospérité en Afrique, tout en réduisant les émissions de gaz à effet de serre.

En septembre, les dirigeants ont adopté le Pacte numérique mondial afin de renforcer la coopération internationale et les capacités dans le domaine des technologies révolutionnaires telles que l’intelligence artificielle. Le Pacte renferme le premier accord véritablement universel sur la gouvernance internationale de l’intelligence artificielle, l’idée étant que chaque pays ait voix au chapitre. Il y est également souligné que les infrastructures publiques numériques, comme les systèmes de paiement numérique, peuvent encourager l’activité économique et l’intégration régionale.

J’invite instamment l’Afrique à saisir cette occasion pour tirer parti du potentiel de transformation offert par la technologie et à promouvoir un développement et une croissance économique qui profitent à tout le monde, dans le respect de l’environnement.

L’Organisation des Nations Unies est fière de soutenir les Africains et les Africaines dans cette entreprise capitale.

***
 

Source: United Nations – English

n World Children’s Day, we celebrate the youngest members of our human family.

But today is also a moment to recognize the enormous challenges children face in our deeply divided, tumultuous and often violent world.

It is shocking that, in the 21st century, any child still goes hungry, uneducated, or without even the most basic health care.

It is a stain on humanity’s conscience when children’s lives are caught in the grinding wheels of poverty, or upended by disasters or violent conflicts that are killing and maiming children.

One hundred years ago, the League of Nations adopted the Declaration on the Rights of the Child — the foundation of the 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child, the most widely ratified human rights treaty in history.

This year’s theme reminds us that we must listen to children as they fight for their rights — and for humanity’s future.

The recently adopted Pact for the Future includes a Global Digital Compact and a Declaration on Future Generations. All three texts contained strong commitments to protect and support children, invest in their rights, and expand opportunities to actively participate in the decisions affecting them.

Every child has the right to live in peace, health and safety.

Today and every day, let’s protect and support children as they meaningfully contribute to making our world a better, brighter, more peaceful place for all people.

***
En cette Journée mondiale de l’enfance, nous célébrons les plus jeunes membres de notre famille humaine.

Cependant, cette journée est aussi l’occasion de mesurer les énormes difficultés auxquelles les enfants doivent faire face dans notre monde profondément divisé, tumultueux et souvent violent.

Il est choquant qu’au XXIe siècle, des enfants souffrent encore de la faim, n’aient toujours pas accès à l’éducation ou ne bénéficient même pas des soins de santé les plus élémentaires.

Lorsque des enfants ploient sous le joug de la pauvreté, que leurs vies sont bouleversées par des catastrophes ou des conflits violents qui les tuent ou les laissent mutilés, la conscience de l’humanité s’en trouve souillée.

Il y a cent ans, la Société des Nations adoptait la Déclaration sur les droits de l’enfant, qui a servi de fondement à la Convention relative aux droits de l’enfant de 1989, l’instrument relatif aux droits humains le plus ratifié de l’histoire.

Le thème de cette année nous rappelle que nous devons écouter les enfants, alors qu’ils luttent pour leurs droits – et pour l’avenir de l’humanité.

Le Pacte pour l’avenir, récemment adopté, s’accompagne d’un Pacte numérique mondial et d’une Déclaration sur les générations futures. Ces trois textes contiennent des engagements forts s’agissant de protéger et d’aider les enfants, d’investir dans leurs droits et de leur donner davantage de possibilités de participer activement aux décisions qui les concernent.

Chaque enfant a le droit de vivre en paix, en bonne santé et en sécurité.

En ce jour et chaque jour, protégeons et soutenons les enfants, qui contribuent de manière concrète à l’avènement d’un monde meilleur, plus radieux et plus pacifique pour tout le monde.

***
 

Source: United Nations – English

he Secretary-General is alarmed by the escalating violence in Haiti, where armed gangs are reported to be gaining ground in the capital Port-au-Prince.
 
He strongly supports efforts by the Haitian National Police, with the backing of the Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission to address the mounting violence.
 
The Secretary-General reiterates his pressing call to ensure that the MSS mission receives the financial and logistical support it needs to successfully implement its mandate. He also emphasizes the importance of urgent progress in the political transition.

***

Le Secrétaire général est alarmé par l’escalade de la violence en Haïti, où des gangs armés semblent gagner du terrain dans la capitale, Port-au-Prince.

Il soutient fermement les efforts déployés par la Police nationale d’Haïti, appuyée par la Mission multinationale d’appui à la sécurité (MMAS), afin de faire face à la montée de la violence.

Le Secrétaire général réitère son appel pressant à assurer que la mission MMAS reçoive les soutiens financiers et logistiques nécessaires pour mettre en œuvre son mandat avec succès. Il souligne également l’importance d’une avancée urgente dans la transition politique.
 

Source: United Nations – English

he Secretary-General is alarmed by the escalating violence in Haiti, where armed gangs are reported to be gaining ground in the capital Port-au-Prince.
 
He strongly supports efforts by the Haitian National Police, with the backing of the Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission to address the mounting violence.
 
The Secretary-General reiterates his pressing call to ensure that the MSS mission receives the financial and logistical support it needs to successfully implement its mandate. He also emphasizes the importance of urgent progress in the political transition.
 

Source: United Nations – English

hank you, Mr. President.

I am pleased to read a statement today, on behalf of the Secretary-General, who unfortunately could not make the session.

1,000 days of wide-spread destruction have passed since the Russian Federation launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine – in brazen violation of the UN Charter and international law.

1,000 days of widespread death, destruction and despair that continue unabated for millions of Ukrainians.

1,000 days in, this war rages on, undiminished.

Deadly battles engulf more and more of eastern and southern Ukraine.

Entire cities, villages and towns have been reduced to rubble. Bakhmut, Avdiivka, Vovchansk and Vuhledar have been virtually wiped off the map.

Since February 2022, at least 12,164 civilians have been killed, including over 600 children. At least 26,871 others have been injured.

And these are just the confirmed numbers. The actual death toll is likely much higher.

The past several months have seen a significant increase in civilian casualties.  October and November saw some of the most intense and large-scale missile and drone attacks of the war.

Over the weekend, Russia launched one of its largest combined strikes, reportedly involving 120 missiles and 90 drones and targeting energy infrastructure in all Ukrainian regions, resulting in severe damage and casualties.

Last night, there were also media reports that Ukrainian forces would be given authorization to use long-range weapons supplied by partners for strikes within Russia.  

I want to be clear:  all parties must ensure the safety and protection of civilians, regardless of their location.

Across Ukraine, residential areas have increasingly come under attack.

The people of Kyiv are again being forced to take shelter from nightly drone and missile barrages.

Critical civilian and energy infrastructure in Ukraine are systematically targeted and decimated, depriving many Ukrainians of access to basic needs.
 
At least 580 medical facilities have been damaged or destroyed, with many first responders and medical personnel killed and injured.

At least 1,358 educational facilities have been damaged or destroyed.

Ukraine has now become one of the world’s most heavily mined places – with almost one quarter of its territory contaminated with mines – an area four times the size of Switzerland.

The environmental degradation caused by the war — including from the destruction of critical infrastructure — such as the Kakhovka Dam, has resulted in long-term consequences for local ecosystems, as well as Ukraine’s agriculture.

Millions of traumatized people are dependent on life-saving humanitarian aid.

Nearly four million remain internally displaced, and more than 6.8 million have fled the country.

As in every conflict, women are disproportionately impacted by the economic and social consequences of the war.

An entire generation of children is being deprived of  proper education as attacks have driven schools online or underground in shelters

Meanwhile, human rights continue to be systematically violated.

Mr. President,

The Black Sea remains a flashpoint. Renewed Russian attacks on civilian vessels and port infrastructure, particularly in Odesa, are once again exacerbating global food insecurity.
 
I am determined to continue my engagement with all concerned to support the freedom and safety of navigation in the Black Sea.
 
Mr. President,

The targeted devastation of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure may make the coming winter the harshest since the start of the war.
 
It is not difficult to imagine how daily and prolonged power cuts aggravate living conditions, acutely affecting the more than two million people whose homes have been damaged or destroyed and those near the frontlines.

The United Nations remains fully mobilized to support Ukraine’s reconstruction and recovery efforts. 

This includes critical support to enhance the resilience of the country’s energy infrastructure.

Our immediate focus is on the Winter Response Plan. But without required resources the most vulnerable will lack sufficient protection.

Unimpeded humanitarian access is essential to reach some 1.5 million people in regions of Ukraine occupied by the Russian Federation. Those areas remain beyond our reach.

At the same time, the operating environment for humanitarian actors has become more dangerous. This year so far, at least nine humanitarian workers have been killed in the line of duty and more than 35 injured.

This is unacceptable.

Despite the international community’s grave concerns, the risk of nuclear incident remains all too real, as military activities continue to be reported near Europe’s largest nuclear power plant in Zaporizhzhia and other sensitive locations in the conflict zone.

The consequences of such an event would be catastrophic and should make us all shudder.  It is imperative for all parties to act responsibly to ensure nuclear safety and security.    

Mr. President,

The recent reported deployment of thousands of troops from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to the conflict zone and involvement in the fighting is alarming.

This would add fuel to the fire, further escalating and internationalizing this explosive conflict,

There is little doubt that this war at the heart of Europe is a conflict with global implications.  It undermines regional stability and deepens geopolitical divisions.

It must end.  

Reversing the current dangerous path will require concerted diplomatic efforts and political will.

It is high time for a just peace in line with the UN Charter, international law and General Assembly resolutions.

We stand ready to use our good offices and to make available the tools and experience of the United Nations in support of all meaningful efforts towards a just, lasting and comprehensive peace.

Thank you, Mr. President.

Source: United Nations – English

xcellencies,

I ask you please to take my words not as a briefing but as a deeply felt appeal.
 
Our climate is at a breaking point.
 
Unless we limit global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius, spiraling disasters will devastate every economy.
 
Current policies would take us over three degrees.
 
That means catastrophe.
We must get on track for the 1.5 degree limit with countries accelerating their near-term emissions cuts, so that we can reduce global emissions by nine per cent every year this decade.
 
Unfortunately, right now, emissions are still rising.
 
So we must speed-up the just transition from fossil fuels to renewables.
 
They are now the cheapest source of new electricity virtually everywhere. 
 
The end of the fossil fuel age is inevitable. 
 
Let’s make sure it does not come too late – and that it comes with justice.
 
Affected workers and communities must be supported, and economies must be diversified, to ensure jobs and prosperity. 
 
The next round of national climate action plans is essential to putting the world on the right path.
 
The G20, as President Lula said, is responsible for 80 per cent of global emissions.
 
So we need you out front.
 
Last week, two of your members — Brazil and the United Kingdom — got us off to a good start with new NDC announcements.
 
Every country’s new plans must align with 1.5-degrees – with unambiguous, absolute emissions reduction targets for 2030 and 2035.
 
Cover the whole economy, all sectors, and all greenhouse gases.
 
Contribute to global goals agreed at COP28 to triple renewables capacity, double energy efficiency, and halt deforestation – all by 2030.
 
And align fossil fuel production and consumption plans with 1.5-degrees.
 
All this must be achieved in line with the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities.
 
But all countries must do more.
 
And developed countries must support emerging and developing economies.
 
We must also take on climate disinformation. 
 
As President Lula said, together with Brazil and UNESCO, the United Nations is launching the Global Initiative for Information Integrity on Climate Change. 
 
We will work with researchers and partners to strengthen action against climate disinformation.
 
Excellencies,
 
In relation to COP29, I ask you to instruct your ministers and negotiators to make sure they agree on a new ambitious climate finance goal this year.
 
Failure is not an option.
 
It might compromise the ambition in the preparation of the new national climate action plans, with potential devastating impacts as irreversible tipping points are getting closer.
 
The preservation of the Amazon is a case in point.
 
It would inevitably also make the success of COP30 in Brazil much more difficult. 
 
We must succeed in Baku, build trust and incentivise the preparation of high ambition national climate plans next year.
 
That goal, the financial goal, in its different layers, must meet the needs of developing countries, beginning with a significant increase in concessional public funds.
 
I welcome the recent announcement by Multilateral Development Banks.
 
The success of COP29 is largely in your hands.  I appeal to the sense of responsibility of all the countries around this table to help ensure that COP29 will be a success. 
 
Thank you.
 

Source: United Nations – English

xcellencies, 

We face a global governance deficit and a global trust deficit. 

Poverty, inequalities, and the climate crisis are getting worse, and peace is getting further out of reach.

We need global solutions rooted in the UN Charter.

But our institutions are not keeping up.

That was the reason for the Pact for the Future agreed in the UN Summit of the Future to strengthen multilateralism and global governance.

Starting with the Security Council which is steadily losing its effectiveness and legitimacy.

As wars grind on, innocent people are paying a terrible price, and the Security Council is unable to stop them.

Security Council reform must be pursued with determination and not become a mirage.

Everywhere around the world, peace requires actions grounded in the values of the UN Charter, the rule of law, UN resolutions and the principles of sovereignty, political independence and the territorial integrity of States. 

Excellencies,

As the world’s largest economies, many of you set the rules that dominate the boards of global financial institutions.

The world looks to you to act on the Pact’s commitments to accelerate reform of the international financial architecture that has become outdated and unfair.

And the decisions are yours.

To make it representative of today’s world and not of the world of many decades ago.

To give fair representation to developing countries in the governance of international financial institutions.

To adequately and equitably shield economies – particularly vulnerable ones – from global shocks, making sure that we reestablish a real global safety net.

And to mobilize finance at scale to close the Sustainable Development Goals financing gap, including substantially increasing the capital and the lending capacity of the Multilateral Development Banks, making them bigger and bolder.

And to boost concessional funding, taking into account vulnerability and not only GDP.

And at the same time, to make debt relief work and work timely and effectively for those countries drowning in debt, while reviewing the debt architecture to enable countries to borrow with confidence.

And finally, to build a more inclusive and equitable international tax system.

July’s conference on Financing for Development in Spain is an opportunity to deepen these reforms.

Excellencies,

The Global Digital Compact adopted in the UN Summit of the Future includes the first universal agreement on AI governance that brings every country to the table.

It calls for an independent international Scientific Panel on AI and initiating a global dialogue on its governance within the United Nations.

And it requests options for innovative voluntary financing for AI capacity-building in developing countries within the next year.

I urge the G20 countries to lead, and once again, I repeat – many of these decisions are exclusively in the hands of members of G20 countries and their presence in the governance bodies of most of our institutions.

With the Security Council, I know it will be more difficult, but we must persist.

And we must make sure that we support the necessary reforms of global governance because they are absolutely essential to rebuild trust in today’s world.
 

Source: United Nations – English

xcellencies,

I ask you please to take my words not as a briefing but as a deeply felt appeal.
 
Our climate is at a breaking point.
 
Unless we limit global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius, spiraling disasters will devastate every economy.
 
Current policies would take us over three degrees.
 
That means catastrophe.
We must get on track for the 1.5 degree limit with countries accelerating their near-term emissions cuts, so that we can reduce global emissions by nine per cent every year this decade.
 
Unfortunately, right now, emissions are still rising.
 
So we must speed-up the just transition from fossil fuels to renewables.
 
They are now the cheapest source of new electricity virtually everywhere. 
 
The end of the fossil fuel age is inevitable. 
 
Let’s make sure it does not come too late – and that it comes with justice.
 
Affected workers and communities must be supported, and economies must be diversified, to ensure jobs and prosperity. 
 
The next round of national climate action plans is essential to putting the world on the right path.
 
The G20, as President Lula said, is responsible for 80 per cent of global emissions.
 
So we need you out front.
 
Last week, two of your members — Brazil and the United Kingdom — got us off to a good start with new NDC announcements.
 
Every country’s new plans must align with 1.5-degrees – with unambiguous, absolute emissions reduction targets for 2030 and 2035.
 
Cover the whole economy, all sectors, and all greenhouse gases.
 
Contribute to global goals agreed at COP28 to triple renewables capacity, double energy efficiency, and halt deforestation – all by 2030.
 
And align fossil fuel production and consumption plans with 1.5-degrees.
 
All this must be achieved in line with the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities.
 
But all countries must do more.
 
And developed countries must support emerging and developing economies.
 
We must also take on climate disinformation. 
 
As President Lula said, together with Brazil and UNESCO, the United Nations is launching the Global Initiative for Information Integrity on Climate Change. 
 
We will work with researchers and partners to strengthen action against climate disinformation.
 
Excellencies,
 
In relation to COP29, I ask you to instruct your ministers and negotiators to make sure they agree on a new ambitious climate finance goal this year.
 
Failure is not an option.
 
It might compromise the ambition in the preparation of the new national climate action plans, with potential devastating impacts as irreversible tipping points are getting closer.
 
The preservation of the Amazon is a case in point.
 
It would inevitably also make the success of COP30 in Brazil much more difficult. 
 
We must succeed in Baku, build trust and incentivise the preparation of high ambition national climate plans next year.
 
That goal, the financial goal, in its different layers, must meet the needs of developing countries, beginning with a significant increase in concessional public funds.
 
I welcome the recent announcement by Multilateral Development Banks.
 
The success of COP29 is largely in your hands.  I appeal to the sense of responsibility of all the countries around this table to help ensure that COP29 will be a success. 
 
Thank you.
 

Source: United Nations – English

xcellencies, 

We face a global governance deficit and a global trust deficit. 

Poverty, inequalities, and the climate crisis are getting worse, and peace is getting further out of reach.

We need global solutions rooted in the UN Charter.

But our institutions are not keeping up.

That was the reason for the Pact for the Future agreed in the UN Summit of the Future to strengthen multilateralism and global governance.

Starting with the Security Council which is steadily losing its effectiveness and legitimacy.

As wars grind on, innocent people are paying a terrible price, and the Security Council is unable to stop them.

Security Council reform must be pursued with determination and not become a mirage.

Everywhere around the world, peace requires actions grounded in the values of the UN Charter, the rule of law, UN resolutions and the principles of sovereignty, political independence and the territorial integrity of States. 

Excellencies,

As the world’s largest economies, many of you set the rules that dominate the boards of global financial institutions.

The world looks to you to act on the Pact’s commitments to accelerate reform of the international financial architecture that has become outdated and unfair.

And the decisions are yours.

To make it representative of today’s world and not of the world of many decades ago.

To give fair representation to developing countries in the governance of international financial institutions.

To adequately and equitably shield economies – particularly vulnerable ones – from global shocks, making sure that we reestablish a real global safety net.

And to mobilize finance at scale to close the Sustainable Development Goals financing gap, including substantially increasing the capital and the lending capacity of the Multilateral Development Banks, making them bigger and bolder.

And to boost concessional funding, taking into account vulnerability and not only GDP.

And at the same time, to make debt relief work and work timely and effectively for those countries drowning in debt, while reviewing the debt architecture to enable countries to borrow with confidence.

And finally, to build a more inclusive and equitable international tax system.

July’s conference on Financing for Development in Spain is an opportunity to deepen these reforms.

Excellencies,

The Global Digital Compact adopted in the UN Summit of the Future includes the first universal agreement on AI governance that brings every country to the table.

It calls for an independent international Scientific Panel on AI and initiating a global dialogue on its governance within the United Nations.

And it requests options for innovative voluntary financing for AI capacity-building in developing countries within the next year.

I urge the G20 countries to lead, and once again, I repeat – many of these decisions are exclusively in the hands of members of G20 countries and their presence in the governance bodies of most of our institutions.

With the Security Council, I know it will be more difficult, but we must persist.

And we must make sure that we support the necessary reforms of global governance because they are absolutely essential to rebuild trust in today’s world.
 

Source: United Nations – English

oilets are fundamental to promoting human health, spurring development, and helping all people, especially women and girls, live their lives in dignity.

But too many members of the human family live without this basic human right. At the current rate, 3 billion people will still live without safely managed sanitation by 2030.

This year’s World Toilet Day shines a light on the threats to sanitation posed by conflict, climate change, disasters and neglect. 

I urge all governments to support the United Nations Strategy for Water and Sanitation, prioritize clean water and sanitation across budgets, and invest in climate-resilient infrastructure that can protect these systems in the face of extreme weather.

We must work to expand assistance to developing countries — through both financing and technology — to build and maintain these life-sustaining systems.

And all parties to conflict must stop targeting sanitation and water infrastructure. 

Let’s spare no effort to meet our commitment to water and sanitation for all, and ensure that every person in the world can realize this fundamental right.  
 
*****
Les toilettes sont essentielles car elles permettent de promouvoir la santé, de stimuler le développement et de contribuer à faire en sorte que toutes les personnes, en particulier les femmes et les filles, puissent vivre dans la dignité.

Mais pour l’heure, ce droit humain fondamental reste inaccessible à un trop grand nombre de personnes. Au rythme des progrès actuels, 3 milliards d’êtres humains ne disposeront toujours pas d’installations sanitaires gérées en toute sécurité en 2030.

Cette année, la Journée mondiale des toilettes est l’occasion de mettre en lumière les menaces que les conflits, les changements climatiques, les catastrophes et la négligence font peser sur l’assainissement.

J’exhorte tous les États à soutenir la stratégie des Nations Unies en matière d’eau et d’assainissement, à faire de l’eau potable et de l’assainissement des priorités budgétaires et à investir dans des infrastructures résilientes face aux changements climatiques qui puissent protéger ces systèmes en cas de conditions météorologiques extrêmes.

Nous devons tout faire pour accroître l’aide apportée aux pays en développement, sur le plan tant financier que technologique, afin de construire et d’entretenir ces systèmes indispensables à la vie.

Toutes les parties à un conflit doivent cesser de prendre pour cible les infrastructures d’assainissement et d’approvisionnement en eau.

Ne ménageons aucun effort pour respecter l’engagement que nous avons pris de garantir un accès universel à l’eau et à l’assainissement et faire en sorte que chaque personne dans le monde puisse exercer ce droit fondamental.