CAIRO: African leaders met on Sunday in Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa for the 33rd African Union (AU) Summit.
The annual summit gathers African leaders to discuss their future plans, and is responsible for conflict resolution on the continent.
This year’s theme is “Silencing the Guns,” but the two-day summit is also focusing on gender equality, climate change and human rights.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, who is attending the summit, met with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
Bassam Rady, spokesman for the Egyptian presidency, said El-Sisi welcomed the meeting with Guterres, and stressed Egypt’s keenness to continue strengthening cooperation with UN organizations in various fields, including international peace and security.
We need fair globalization so that Africa no longer suffers from unfair trading and financial rules.
António Guterres, UN chief
Guterres said the partnership between the AU and the UN is strengthening. “We need fair globalization so that Africa no longer suffers from unfair trading and financial rules, subsidies and other policies and market distortions that perpetuate inequality and make it harder for Africa to compete and prosper,” he added.
Guterres said the impact of the climate crisis on African peace and development can be traced back to locust swarms that are currently affecting East Africa. The UN and the AU “are working together” to help Sudan’s new government “keep its commitments,” he added.
