Speaking at the 39th African Union (AU) Summit in Addis Ababa, UN Secretary-General António Guterres called for sweeping reforms of global institutions, describing the lack of permanent African seats on the UN Security Council as “indefensible.”
Guterres highlighted Africa’s role as a “flagship for multilateralism” and praised the strengthened UN-AU partnership in peace, sustainable development, and human rights. He outlined three priorities: peace, economic action, and climate justice.
He stressed that African countries must benefit directly from their natural wealth: “No more exploitation. No more plundering. The people of Africa must benefit from the resources of Africa.”
Key points from the summit:
• Peace: Urged an immediate ceasefire in Sudan, renewed dialogue in South Sudan, and respect for the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s territorial integrity. Advocated African-led solutions in the Sahel, Libya, and Horn of Africa.
• Economy: Warned of a $4 trillion SDG financing gap; called for tripling multilateral bank lending capacity and ending exploitation of Africa’s natural resources.
• Climate justice: Emphasised the urgent need for adaptation finance and scaling the Loss and Damage Fund, noting Africa bears the brunt of climate change it did not cause.
ℹ️ African Union, UN News
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