UN Chief: Give Africa Greater Say!

Fahad Shabbir (@FahadShabbir) Published August 20, 2025 | 11:30 PM

NEW YORK, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 20th Aug, 2025) The UN Secretary-General on Wednesday repeated his call for Africa to have a greater say in decisions that affect its future, in remarks to a conference in Japan focused on the continent’s development.

“With the world’s youngest population, abundant natural resources, and a vibrant entrepreneurial spirit, Africa is poised for progress,” he told the 9th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) in Yokohama.

He said the meeting’s theme – Co-Create Innovative Solutions with Africa – was a reminder that these same strengths can help shape a more peaceful, prosperous, and sustainable world in Africa and beyond.

In this regard, he emphasised the need to accelerate progress to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through investment, reform and partnerships.

Guterres highlighted five areas for cooperation, starting with his longstanding push to reform institutions of global governance so that they reflect today’s realities.

“Africa must have a stronger voice in shaping the decisions that affect its future,” he said.

“That includes long-overdue reform of the Security Council, where incredibly, Africa has no permanent member, and other regions remain underrepresented.”

He also called for overhauling the international financial architecture, describing the current system as “unjust and unfair”, as well as bold action on debt relief.