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The United Nations (UN) and the Pan African Parliament (PAP) are establishing mechanisms of working together on delivering sustainable development on the African continent.
There was evidence that the Pan-African Parliament (PAP) continues to generate interest from various key political and socio-economic stakeholders around the world as its renewal project, led by its leadership in yielding positive results.
At the end of the Second Ordinary Session of the Sixth Parliament, the Bureau of the PAP received the Under-Secretary-General and Special Adviser to the United Nations Secretary-General on Africa, Madam Cristina Duarte. The high-level meeting explored and identified several key areas for collaboration.
The engagement deliberated on the need for Africans and the UN to work together on delivering sustainable development.
“Our aim is to start a fruitful collaboration with Africa’s Parliament to advance the African agenda. Today Africa faces a multitude of challenges in the areas of food security and energy for instance. These problems should be processed as opportunities. We are here to seek support from the PAP around three important key areas namely financing for development, energy, and climate dynamics, and the nexus between peace and security and development,” proffered Madam Cristina Duarte.
Madam Duarte said Africa is a well-resourced continent that has to move to realising that domestic resource mobilization is a critical piece in the delivery of democracy and also in the acceleration of deliverance of Agenda 2063.
“Financing for development in Africa is no longer an option as we need to change our paradigm. Africa is already financing its own development as on an annual basis we lose US$3 billion that comes back to Africa in the form of loans. If a country succeeds in building a strong domestic financing system, that same country will be in a position to change,” said Madam Duarte.
Regarding the African Continental Free Trade Area, Madam Duarte hailed the Agreement and said through this Africa has stood tall and given its citizens reasons to be proud.
Speaking at the same meeting, PAP President H.E Chief Fortune Charumbira welcomed the engagement.
“We are happy to receive the high-level UN representative here at the PAP and she is coming in the spirit of mutual support. This is a new chapter between the PAP and the UN system which will create huge benefits for our citizens, and it is a new narrative. The narratives about Africa at the UN are wrong and the UN representative is here so that we now project a proper view of Africa,” said HE Chief Charumbira.
HE Chief Charumbira added that the PAP represents the voice of the African citizenry because it is composed of Members of Parliament who also represent some of the remotest and marginalised parts of Africa. As a result, in interacting and partnering with the PAP, the UN would be better informed.
SOURCE: PAN AFRICAN PARLIAMENT