UN Secretary-General calls for reform of “unjust international system” that is holding Africa back

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Wednesday that “Africa’s enormous potential” was hampered by “an unjust international system”, calling for a profound reform of global governance and the international financial architecture.

Speaking at the Africa Forward summit in Nairobi, Kenya, Antonio Guterres said “Africa must have the voice, representation and resources that its people deserve.”

“The continent has enormous potential, but this potential is held back by an unjust international system,” he said.

The UN chief denounced “exorbitant” borrowing costs imposed on several African countries, as well as the delay in promised support to the states most vulnerable to climate change.

“Too often, African countries have to live with decisions made in institutions where they do not have an equal voice,” he added, saying that “this must change.”

Antonio Guterres called for “more ambitious reforms to the international financial architecture,” “more investments that enable countries to grow and transform,” and for global institutions “reflecting the world of today, not that of 80 years ago “.

The UN Secretary-General also called for “a system that gives Africa the voice, resources and representation that has long been denied to it.”