The African Union (AU) has called for Africa's permanent representation on the UN Security Council as well as equitable representation in international financial institutions.
At the 7th African Union-European Union Summit in Angola's capital, Luanda, AU Commission Chair Mahmoud Ali Youssouf on Monday lamented the "uncertainty that prevails on the international scene," where international rules are being questioned due to an increase in conflicts, terrorism, and extremism.
He also expressed concern about the "devitalization of international law," noting that Africa is experiencing its own political, security, and development crises.
Africa must position itself in a context where "the rules of the World Trade Organisation are torn, and the UN Security Council's actions are limited due to conflicts of interest and antagonism between big decision-makers," Youssouf explained.
“Africa continues to request its seat at this table,” he stressed. “We request our seat on the UN Security Council based on the Ezulwini consensus, as well as equitable representation in international financial institutions.”
The AU chief also called for a reform of the international financial architecture to reduce Africa's capital costs and ensure its access to funding, stressing that "Europe must play a major role" in this regard.
“I'm pleading for European investments in the transformation process of our minerals on the continent. I'm calling for the lifting of any tariff or non-tariff barrier hampering the access of African products to the European market. I'm finally calling for a stronger and more viable multilateralism based on equality, respect for all nations, and advancing the common vital global interest,” Youssouf added.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said at the summit that the world is moving towards a multipolar order with global power in flux, warning against a division into two major blocs and stressing the need for interconnected multipolarity with inclusive networks in trade, development, finance, and growing political coordination.
He said the AU-EU partnership, and more broadly Europe-Africa ties, could form a central axis in a new multipolar world, offering a chance to “ratify historic injustices and usher in a fairer, more equal system for countries long excluded from global decision-making.”
“Multipolarity in itself is not a guarantee of peace and prosperity,” he said, noting that Europe in 1914 was multipolar but without strong multilateral governance, which led to war.
Guterres called for today’s multipolarity to be underpinned by “strong multilateral institutions and dynamics as a condition for stability and balance.”
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Source: TRT