Statements from 2011
H.E. Mr. Téte António's Remarks at Africa Day
Written by H.E. Mr. Téte António Tuesday, 31 May 2011 17:26
Mr. President of the UN General Assembly, Excellencies, Mr. Taj Hamad, Secretary General of UPF.
Distinguished guests. Ladies and gentlemen.
The Permanent Representative of the Equatorial Guinea will be addressing this gathering soon in his capacity as representative of the Chair of the African Union.
My easy task is therefore to pave the way by welcoming all of you to this event devoted to the celebration of Africa Day.
I had the opportunity this year to celebrate Africa Day in Addis Ababa on May 25th under the leadership of the Chair of the Union, President Obiang Nguema Mbasogo of Equatorial Guinea.
The main theme this year is devoted to the youth, namely, “Accelerating Youth empowerment for sustainable development”. As you know, youth in Africa constitute 62% of the general population of Africa who are less than 35 years of age. By the year 2020, 70% of the population will be young people of less than 20 years.
This day in New York is particularly a special one as we also celebrate the Year of People of African Descent.
We have therefore joined our efforts in a very exemplary partnership between the Observer Mission of the African Union to the United Nations, the Group of African Ambassadors Spouses and UPF to create the conditions for this event which is aimed at paying a particular attention to what is called at the African Union, the Sixth Region, meaning the African Diaspora.
This constitutes also a valuable occasion to mobilize the opinion on the project of a Permanent memorial to honor victims of slavery and Trans-Atlantic slave trade. H.E. Ambassador Wolf, Permanent Representative of Jamaica to the United Nations, will be speaking in depth about this very important subject.
Let’s build this bridge between Africa and its Diaspora as current challenges faced by the continent call for our unity, the same unity which made our political independence possible thanks to the winds of freedom and panafricanism which came from the African Diaspora.
Particular tribute is paid to those great sons of the African Diaspora who contributed significantly to this achievement. Today we therefore remember great names such as WEB Du Bois, Marcus Garvey, Martin Luther King Jr., Toussaint l’Ouverture, Malcolm X, Langston Hughes, Aimé Césaire, and all the great sons thanks to whom we stand here today.
For now, those are the few welcoming humble, but warm words I would like to say to wish all of you a Happy Africa Day!
I thank you.
H.E. Mr. Obiang Nguema Mbasogo's Remarks at Africa Day
Written by H.E. Mr. Anatolio Ndong Mba Tuesday, 31 May 2011 16:46
Delivered by H.E. Mr. Anatolio Ndong Mba.
Integrating youth empowerment and sustainable development coincides with the declaration of 2011 as the International Year of Youth and the adoption in 2006 of the African Youth Charter that takes into account that youth under age 35 constitute 62% of the population of Africa and that by the year 2020, 70% of the African population will be less than 20 years of age.
These are important statistics for African countries and a source of new and strong dynamism. The African Union Youth Volunteer Corps will hold its second session on 13 June in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, the venue for the African Union summit in June.
For H.E. Mr. Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, current chairman of the African Union, it is a condition sine qua non that that institutional scenario for guaranteeing the political, economic, and cultural rights of people and the coming generations of youth is a pluralistic democratic system which allows the majority of the population to participate in the management of public affairs.
The exercise of democracy should be based on respect for the idiosyncrasies and cultural values that characterize each nation. We therefore look to the coming African Union summit to adopt strategies to facilitate the integration of youth in Africa’s sustainable development, limiting, if not putting an end to, the exodus of our youth to the developed countries in search of prosperity as well as recuperating our intellectuals from the Diaspora.
Read more: H.E. Mr. Obiang Nguema Mbasogo's Remarks at Africa Day
H.E. Mr. Joseph Deiss Remarks at Africa Day
Written by H.E. Mr. Joseph Deiss Tuesday, 31 May 2011 16:06
Excellencies,Ladies and Gentlemen,
First and foremost, I would like to thank the African Ambassadors’ Spouses Group and the African Union for inviting me.
As we celebrate Africa Day, this event, today in New York, clearly shows how resilient, dignified, and generous African men and women are everywhere. We, in the international community, are reminded that we are all members of the same global village, and that we must strive to care for each other.
As I travel regularly to the mother of all continents, my recent visits tell me that Africa is not only reshaping our global agenda, Africa is indeed at the heart of our global agenda, our challenge as well as our hope for a better tomorrow.
A continent of more than 50 nations, Africa represents a real force in the General Assembly. With their Caribbean sisters and brothers, Africans truly constitute a formidable group to be reckoned with in the United Nations General Assembly.
Today, however, we are not focusing on politics or Millennium Development Goals. We are focusing on having a big party. A gathering among friends. As it is often said in African cities and villages, you cannot claim to be someone’s friend if you have not shared with him or her a meal. That is a good start.
Thank you
Mrs. Hadiza Maty Guiet Abani's Remarks on Africa Day
Written by Mrs. Hadiza Maty Guiet Abani Tuesday, 31 May 2011 12:14
We, the spouses of the African Ambassadors at the United Nations are grateful and humbled by this opportunity to host, in conjunction with the African Union and the Universal Peace Federation, so many of you today at the unique event dedicated to Africa, our motherland. Africans have common and strong values of solidarity, hospitality, generosity, sharing and brotherhood, which unite us like one people with common destiny.
Therefore, today’s happening is an opportunity to celebrate the spirit of African Unity. We thank our performers and ushers for their participation to make this day possible.
Sukurran, Assante saana, Moungode, Ir Sabou, Siyabonga Kakhulu, Abuy Akiba! Thank you and enjoy!
UN Secretary-General's Message on Africa Day
Written by Ban Ki-moon, United Nations Secretary-General Wednesday, 25 May 2011 08:49
New York, United States
On Africa Day, we recognize the people and promise of Africa. The continent has just experienced a decade of rapid economic growth – a stark contrast to the stagnation and reversals of previous years. Many of the world's fastest-growing economies are in sub-Saharan Africa, and attractive investment opportunities are proliferating.
Africa has also made gains in consolidating democracy. The United Nations will continue to support the African people's efforts to realize their right to choose their own leaders and ensure that elections are a route to peace, not violence.
I am marking Africa Day this year with a visit to the continent aimed at mobilizing global support for reducing child and maternal mortality rates. Progress in this area has been slower than it is on all the other Millennium Development Goals, despite proven policies, practices and technologies. Our new Global Strategy for Women's and Children's Health aims to save millions of lives by bringing together all relevant partners and scaling up what works, including many home-grown African strategies for success.
The theme of this year's observance – “Accelerating Youth Empowerment for Sustainable Development” – highlights one of Africa's greatest untapped resources: its young people. Africa is the world's youngest continent; 70 per cent of the population is under the age of 30. Despite advances in education and economic growth, progress remains fragile, inequalities are widespread and young Africans face major difficulties in finding decent jobs and participating in decision-making.
In North Africa earlier this year, the lack of such freedoms was among the factors that led young people to take to the streets demanding change and fulfillment of their legitimate aspirations for better lives. Empowering youth is essential for sustainable economic growth and sustainable management of the earth's ecosystems and resources; the clear challenge for many countries now is to pay just as much attention to sustainable political progress.
As Africans strive to overcome threats to peace and development, the continent will continue to need strong and dedicated support from all its partners. On Africa Day, let us reaffirm our commitment to work in partnership with Africans of all ages to realize their potential by building an environment conducive to prosperity, democracy and peace
Source: un.org