UN Secretary General Commends Support for Strife Torn Mali
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon has commended the multilateral support for Mali in the foreign-led military campaign to drive the Islamists from the north of the country they have been controlling since last April.
Speaking at the opening session of the AU summit in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa on Sunday, Mr. Ban pledged that the world body would contribute to re-building Mali after the conflict and urged the Malian authorities to launch a definite process towards restoring constitutional order in the crisis-torn country.
The UN boss hailed the progress being made by Africa after he had visited 30 countries where was impressed by the determination and imagination of populations to forge ahead and realize the development potential of the continent.
He said evidence of this was in the economic success stories of a number of countries who have recorded some of the highest economic growth rates not only on the continent but also in the world.
He expressed hope that the Millennium Development Goals (MGDs) would be reached in Africa but tempered this optimism with a tinge of realism, drawing the AU summit’s attention to hundreds of thousands of Africans still adversely affected by chronic poverty.
He said a high-profile panel on the post-2015 development agenda will be hosted in the Liberian capital Monrovia next week.
Regarding the youths in Africa, the UN scribe said a Special Envoy has been appointed tasked with addressing issues such as youth employment and education.
Mr Ban also called on African leaders to effectively address gender-based violence.
In conclusion, Mr. Ban restated the UN’s support for the Great Green Wall initiative and exhorted the international community to remain true to its commitment regarding the environmental project.
Source African Press Agency
African News from NetNewsPublisher.com
Category: Africa
