Mr. President,
At the outset, allow me to express our profound gratitude to the co-facilitators Germany and our own, Namibia for masterfully steering the work that led to the adoption of a bold and ambitious Pact of the Future. While recognizing the many challenges and the constraints that our organization faces, we indeed agree that we are at a moment of hope and opportunity. We all are by now acutely aware of the risks that the erosion of multilateralism entails and the cost of inaction. We are grateful for the Secretary-General’s contribution and the elaboration of the landmark report ‘Our Common Agenda’ as well as the various thematic policy briefs in response to the request by world leaders. The ideas and insights contained in this report offered a useful basis for discussions among Member States. We can’t thank him enough for sharing his vision for a better, more integrated, more impactful and more networked multilateralism. 

Mr. President,
It is imperative, urgent and crucial that we achieve consensus on a set of measures which can advance global governance that is fit for the future. 
Djibouti, and indeed African countries, shared with UN Member States our vision for our continent’s renaissance and roadmap for realizing it. We have worked off that same map while engaging in negotiations on the Summit of the Future with Member States. The ambition we have is that of a United Nations that plays a leading strengthened role. We envision the reform of global governance to be bold and transformative. The international financial architecture must address existing inequities and be better aligned with today’s world. 

Le fardeau de la dette des pays africains, augmentant de façon insoutenable, et aggravé par des régimes commerciaux injustes et des conditionnalités politiques, a imposé des restrictions énormes à la marge de manœuvre politique et budgétaire des États africains. La réponse aux multiples crises récentes a été terriblement inadéquate au regard de l’urgence et de l’ampleur des problèmes. Le système financier mondial, selon les termes du Secrétaire général Antonio Guterres, « n’a pas réussi à fournir un filet de sécurité mondial aux pays en développement ». Les institutions financières internationales doivent mobiliser des financements adéquats pour atteindre les objectifs de développement durable, protéger équitablement les pays contre les chocs systémiques et rendre le système financier plus stable.

Monsieur le Président,
Pour rétablir la confiance, nous devons repenser et redéfinir une gouvernance mondiale qui puisse servir de cadre à la création d’un système multilatéral plus équitable, plus juste et plus efficace.

L’Afrique est toujours gravement sous-représentée dans de nombreuses organisations financières internationales. Elle compte le plus grand nombre de membres et de programmes au FMI, mais ne contrôle que 6,5 % des votes. À la Banque mondiale, elle ne contrôle que 11 % des actions de la Banque.

Mr. President,
The past decades have aggravated inequality between nations. We must reverse that trend and tirelessly endeavor to bridge that gap. To realize that vision, we need to enhance international cooperation to help harness the benefits of science, technology and innovation. This is critical to our efforts to build a prosperous, just and sustainable future. If it is responsibly managed and deployed, science and Artificial Intelligence can help turbo-charge the implementation of Agenda 2030 and trigger transformational change in agriculture, health and poverty eradication. The example of countries that have successfully grown from underdeveloped countries to global innovators is a powerful illustration. We must do it for the sake of the present and future generations. 

Mr. President, 
We must collectively recommit to the Charter of the United Nations, particularly its Purposes and Principles, and reaffirm the primacy of conflict prevention and peaceful settlement of disputes. We must reject power politics and promote adherence to the Charter, specifically respect for sovereignty, territorial integrity, unity and political independence of UN Member States in our efforts to maintain international peace and security. The concerns that have motivated the Charter remain salient today, over seven decades later. The eruption of new crises in many places in the world, the challenges the world faces in the global arms control ; and non-proliferation, emerging threats including the use of nuclear weapons and underregulated fields in international life compel us to act with renewed vigor, unity of purpose and strength. Accusations of double standards by major powers have weakened the systematic application of international law and have had a negative impact on the effectiveness of the Security Council. We cannot afford the Security Council, the main organ of the United Nations entrusted with the responsibility to maintain international peace and security to be paralyzed. We reiterate our call for a reformed, more inclusive, stronger, more responsive organ in the future. We call on UN Member States to support the Common African Position on the matter. The reform of the UNSC must be accelerated as part of the new order we are aiming for to make that body more representative and rectify the injustice done to Africa and other regional groups. 

Monsieur le Président,
Pour paraphraser Hannah Arendt ‘ne succombons pas au passé’, commençons maintenant à prendre les actions qui nous permettront de bâtir un avenir meilleur. Cette tâche vitale ne peut être reportée. Il nous faudra prendre les taureaux par les cornes et travailler d’arrache-pied pour mettre en œuvre les engagements pris dans le Pacte pour l’ avenir. Faisons -le pour les générations futures et pour le devenir d’ une coopération multilatérale renforcée !
Je vous remercie pour votre attention.

Voir le discours en ligne.