UN, AU sign human rights framework amid calls for global financial reform
UN Secretary-General António Guterres and AU Commission Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat have jointly inked a framework agreement on human rights, geared towards building on existing documents to promote peace, security and development.
The leaders emphasised the urgent need for reform in the global financial architecture to better align with current global realities, the UN News reported.
“What Africa needs above all is justice in international relations because Africa has been the victim of the structural injustices of our international relations,” said Guterres.
Faki, on the other hand, emphasised peace and security while he acknowledged the challenging period for Africa, characterising it as a "haven for terrorism and extremism," impacting various regions and coinciding with the downsizing of some AU peacekeeping operations.
“We also need to ensure that we are on the right track for development. And this will perhaps help us to mitigate the issue of migration which has become a particularly delicate issue for our neighbours in Europe,” he added.
Beyond security concerns, Africa faces economic challenges exacerbated by the triple crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, and repercussions of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, particularly affecting food supply, the report added.
Critical to addressing these challenges, both leaders stressed the importance of financing for development and peace, alongside comprehensive reform of global financial institutions.
Faki announced that both leaders will participate in the COP28 climate conference opening this week in Dubai. He emphasised the conference as a crucial opportunity to advocate for Africa, a continent significantly affected by climate change despite contributing minimally to pollution.
