Beijing - New York: Europe and Arabs
From the Chinese capital, Beijing, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that joint efforts between China and Africa can ignite new momentum for development on the continent, stressing the organization's support for the partnership between the two parties. According to the UN daily news bulletin, a copy of which we received today, Friday, it added, "This came yesterday, Thursday, during his speech at the summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, which has been held every three years since 2000, and in which leaders from about 50 African countries participated this year.
Debt hinders development
The Secretary-General said that the summit comes amid rising geopolitical tensions, raging conflicts, and increasing poverty and hunger, pointing to current challenges, including conflicts in Ukraine, Gaza and Sudan, as well as the worsening climate crisis, inequality and threats to global and African efforts to achieve sustainable development.
He stressed that many African countries are drowning in debt and struggling to invest in sustainable development.
Reforming outdated systems
The Secretary-General of the United Nations referred to his proposals to reform the "outdated, ineffective and unfair international financial architecture", and to provide a stimulus plan for developing countries striving to make the sustainable development goals a reality.
The solutions include increasing the lending capacity of multilateral development banks and enabling them to increase financing It is very affordable for development. Mr. Guterres stressed that China and Africa’s support for these initiatives is crucial.
Progress towards shared goals
“In this context, South-South cooperation is essential to build capacity and drive progress towards shared development goals – while in no way diminishing the responsibilities of the Global North,” he said.

Mr. Guterres described China’s partnership with the African continent as a pillar of South-South cooperation, which refers to the exchange of technology and skills between countries in the Global South.

“Your joint efforts, based on the Charter of the United Nations, can create new momentum for African development,” he said.

Noting that China is already Africa’s largest and oldest trading partner, he added: “We know that investments in Africa, as elsewhere, are game-changers when they respect national ownership, are financially sustainable, climate-sensitive and comply with international human rights obligations.”
Partnership for Transformation
China’s “distinguished record in development” – including poverty eradication – “provides a wealth of experience and expertise,” the Secretary-General said, stressing that the China-Africa partnership “can drive the renewable energy revolution, and can be a catalyst for major transformations in food systems and digital connectivity.”

He stressed that Africa could maximize the potential of China’s support in areas from trade to data management, finance and technology “as home to some of the world’s most dynamic economies.”
Confronting today’s challenges
Mr. Guterres also used his speech to highlight the need to “redress some historical injustices,” saying it was “terrible” that Africa does not have a permanent seat on the UN Security Council, for example.
In this regard, he said the Summit on the Future to be held at UN Headquarters later this month “will be a pivotal opportunity for renewal and reform – grounded in solidarity and justice.”
The Secretary-General spoke of the proposed focus on preventing new and emerging threats to global security and a common approach to addressing them, building on the recent success of the mandate of the United Nations’ contributions to African Union-led peace operations. “We are pushing for reforms so that the international financial architecture and institutions are aligned with the realities of today’s world and can respond to today’s challenges – especially those facing developing countries, particularly in Africa. Your full engagement will be crucial to finding sustainable solutions,” he said.

Concluding his remarks, the Secretary-General emphasized “the full engagement of the United Nations in supporting a strong partnership between China and Africa, towards our shared goal of peace, sustainable development and human rights on a healthy planet.”