May 23, 2024
Ambassador Pedro Comissário Afonso, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Mozambique to the United Nations and President of the Security Council for the month of May, speaking in his national capacity, observed that Africa is a mosaic of peoples, trends, challenges, opportunities and narratives that are deeply connected to internal and global events.
However, there are also enormous challenges Africa must face, including a high poverty rate, the rapid Africanization of terrorism, political instability and illiteracy. To overcome these challenges, it is critical for Africa to emerge from its present status and become an important player on the global stage.
“When united, our 55 countries form a powerful, unified bloc that serves the interests of the Global South,” he stated, adding that Africa shall continue to advocate for addressing the structural deficiencies of the multilateral system, particularly the reform of the Security Council and international financial institutions. Further, he underlined the importance of representation at multilateral fora, stressing that “visibility should be a means to an end — not a goal in itself”.